THE PLOT THUS FAR
Journey with Hercules as he embarks on his celebrated 12 labors to atone for committing a heinous crime. Follow his quest for redemption as he battles injustice, slays fearsome creatures, commits thefts and murders — and boldly defies the gods themselves. Ultimately triumphant, Hercules earns a place among the immortals atop Mount Olympus — and in history. But could a real person have inspired his story? What was it that the dazzling yet dysfunctional pantheon of gods represented to the people of classical Greece? Was their power political or divine?
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Hercules: Hero, God, Warrior” is a standard History Channel examination of a popular myth. Killing snakes in his crib, the mighty labors and his skirmishes with the Gods are part of the game. There is a lot of attention paid to whether real people could’ve inspired the Hercules myth. Others claim that it played into the soap opera sense of the Mt. Olympus hierarchy. After awhile, I just zoned out.
The compilation sports three different documentaries that overlap in terms of subject matter. Yet, no one talks about the Marvel Comics version of Hercules. History Channel and Marvel are owned by the same people now, where is the corporate synergy on this matter? A lot of the recreations presented in the documentaries border on Ancient Aliens levels of laughable. That being said, it works for what it is. If you’re a fan of this material, then you probably already DVR’d it. So, where does that leave you in terms of double-dipping on a DVD?
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is pretty typical for History Channel compilation discs. The transfer pales when compared to the History HD broadcasts. But, the Dolby track doesn’t drop anything. In the end, I’d recommend a stream to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!