Dwayne Johnson is one of the hardest working men in Hollywood. His post-wrestling, big screen career has included notable action hits, family films, and even a few comedies. Prior to filming “Hercules”, the artist formerly known as “The Rock” told director Brett Ratner (the “Rush Hour” trilogy) that he was “born to play” the title role. And you’d think being the son of Zeus would be a perfect fit for Johnson. But while his physique is appropriately impressive, this twisted-up re-hash and re-vision of the Hercules legend, based on a comic book, is little more than a 100-minute infomercial on how to get into great shape.
I guess you can call “Hercules” an action comedy, even though all the attempts at humor (and there are many) fall ridiculously flat. Johnson’s dramatic deliveries of the way-too-serious (and modern) dialogue do come-off as laughable, but I don’t think it’s intentional. Ian McShane, who plays one of Hercules’ merry misfits, is the comic relief character, and talks non-stop about his impending death as if it were the funniest topic he’s ever discussed. This running “joke” is ineffective and misplaced. There’s also so much violence, including several bloody battles involving countless stabbings and killings, that it’s surprising “Hercules” didn’t get an R-rating, especially when you add the few, choice f-bombs. Ratner is relentless with the action, and the majority of it is mindless and pointless.
There’s not much praise I can give in the story department, either. “Is Hercules really the son of Zeus?” “Did he actually kill his wife and children?” These are the most dramatic subplots the writers could come-up with. The best thing about the script is that it avoids the headache-inducing Greek Gods universe (which we all suffered through with “Clash” and “Wrath of the Titans”, as well as this past January’s “The Legend of Hercules”). And, thankfully, a possible romantic angle is avoided, since it only would have dragged things out even longer.
“Hercules” is the latest in the new Hollywood trend of dumbed-down, modern re-tellings of classic stories, in which we learn “The Real Story” behind some iconic fictional characters. “Snow White & the Huntsman” and “Maleficent” worked because they were complex, suspenseful and fun. “Hercules” now joins the growing list of failures which includes “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”, “I, Frankenstein”, and in all likelihood, “Dracula Untold”. With a lack of imagination from studios to create interesting, new characters and meaningful stories, this is what we are left with. Coming Soon – “The Werewolf: Before He Had Hair”.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Hercules” gets a D+.