THE PLOT THUS FAR
The origin story of the the mythical Greek hero. Betrayed by his stepfather, the King, and exiled and sold into slavery because of a forbidden love, Hercules must use his formidable powers to fight his way back to his rightful kingdom.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Legend of Hercules” represents Hollywood’s latest mini infatuation with the world of Antiquity. Ten years ago, we had Wolfgang Petersen shooting Eric Bana and Brad Pitt hanging out in the desert. Now, we’ve got Renny Harlin and Brett Ratner staging rival productions about the true origins of a myth. The difference being is that Harlin is attacking the project with the subtle touch of Golan/Globus at their penny pinching best. But, it looks good. So, where is the fault?
The movie is bad, but just how bad is it? The movie isn’t as bad as it is rushed. With the Exorcist prequel, Harlin was shooting over someone else’s work. The only excuse he has here is that there was only so much film in the camera and he had to shoot what was left. Kellan Lutz is a non entity, as he keeps fighting through enemies like it’s a crappy game. Some of the kills are cool, but that’s it.
The Blu-Ray comes with 2D and 3D versions of the movie. Make sure that your firmware is up-to-date, otherwise the 3D version won’t trigger. I tested it out after replicating the issue based on a few complains from readers. Again, I apologize for the review being late in order to test that. But, it was an easy fix. You also get a commentary and featurette. The 1080p transfer makes the action pop, even when Harlin doesn’t quite get shoving things to the forefront. The DTS-HD 7.1 master audio track is dynamic and it continues to show that Lionsgate is the kind when it comes to Blu-Ray audio. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!