LEGEND OF HERCULES, THE (4K ULTRA HD)

THE LEGEND OF HERCULES 4K REVIEWED

“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 4K presentation is surprisingly rich, but it suffers from that warm haze that I saw on SONY’s disc for Risen. I guess it’s just a natural slight when it comes to make high-res cinematography choices for period pieces. While it’s not quite as annoying as the vaseline on lens schtick in the mid 1970s, one has to wonder why it keeps returning to period action movies every year? The Dolby Atmos track is a slight upgrade over the 3D Blu we covered a few years ago. Still, those back channels can really shake your kidneys.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Featurette
• Commentary

A/V STATS

• 2.40:1 2160p transfer
• Dolby Atmos

RELEASE DATE: 9/19/17