#HERCULES (2014)

[spellfuls]

REBECCA FERGUSON in HERCULES (2014)

[wuxiaphoenix]

Movie Review: Hercules (2014)

Hercules (2014), with Dwayne Johnson playing the title role. I missed this one when it first came out. In my defense, 2014 was not a good year for me. Which might be saying the hurricane was kind of gusty... anyway. I’ve seen it now, and this one deserves to be spread around! Five out of five for adventure, creative interpretations of myths to more “legends”, and some really good battle buddies/found family stuff.

On a more sobering note - if you want a good look at how sociopathic personalities work, how good they are at fooling people, being convincing, and terrifying whole masses of others into going along with them? The last third of this movie will make that very clear. These are some Very Bad Guys, these villains.

(And we get to see them violently taken out. Good. Good. We need more of this!)

Ahem. Yes, I may be on a bit of a sword and sorcery, Conan the Barbarian-style go for the gold and killing bad guys kick at the moment. Too much politics screwing up Real Life for all of us right now; a good escapist fantasy where there are good guys and bad guys and we know who makes a thump as they hit the floor, is definitely called for.

So. Idea is that the Labors of Hercules are real, but... some of the “monsters” were exaggerated. And Hercules is not a lone fighter, but the leader of a team of skilled mercenaries. Which fits some of the stories I’ve read - he was not just a berserker, he was a guy who could think!

The group leans into the stories, and spreads them wilder and larger-than-life on purpose - what better way to break the morale of, say, a bunch of pirates than to make sure they know they’re fighting a demigod? (With well-armed and concealed allies to take out bad guys in large bunches.) And then they get hired to defend a country against a man who seems to be allied with demons....

Here’s where, if you only got a glimpse of the trailers first, you might skip this movie. The trailers seem to lean into “the gods are unleashing monsters on humankind!” The movie? It’s more about humans being monsters. And humans dealing with the aftermath of violence they’ve dealt or witnessed. Tydeus, in particular, has been so traumatized he never speaks... but he is fiercely loyal, Hercules looks after him and plans to take him along when he retires to a place no one will know him or his reputation anymore. Tydeus also has a nice detail in his scenes; he is a reflexive, vicious fighter with two axes in combat. So when he charges someone for a spar (or to test the strength of a shield formation), he drops the axes first.

This is a good movie for showing how people who are good at violence, who have dealt with it large parts of their lives, are also responsible and careful with that violence. The people who aren’t, are Bad Guys.

It’s also a good tale for reminding us all that while monsters may kill you, people who crave power are even more dangerous. Be prepared!

The scenery and battle tactics are also a treat. Unprepared soldiers get wrecked. Trained ones do much better. And the fire and derring-do at the end... well, you can see more legends springing up about the gods getting involved, especially given the bad guy was a family-murderer and Hera’s dominion being directly affected!

Yeah. This one is good; planning to get a DVD when I can. In the meantime - it’s up on YouTube!

[adm-starblitzsteel-4305]

Man, whenever I opened on X, I was bombarded by Zeuszilla fanart and videos and I am internally screaming

[schlocklasa]

[jacquelinemerritt]

The Disney Renaissance (1994-1999)

Originally posted on September 5th, 2014

The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King is both the most critically and commercially successful of all the Disney Renaissance films. It was also the highest grossing animated film ever at the time of its release, and today it is still the third highest grossing animated film of all time. The pageantry on display in this film mimicked classic Hollywood musicals in all of their most grand aspects, while simultaneously drawing on Shakespearean high drama for the story. It is unquestionably the greatest film of the Disney Renaissance, whether it is your favorite film from the era or not. This movie marked the peak of the Renaissance a mere five years after its beginning, and unfortunately, the next five years would come with major fluctuations in quality.

Pocahontas (1995)

Pocahontas was directed by Mike Gabriel (director of the forgettable The Rescuers Down Under) and Eric Goldberg (who had worked on other Disney films before). This was Disney’s first attempt at telling a story about two real people from history, so there were inevitably going to be some difficulties. Their attempt to adapt the tale of a young Native American woman falling in love with an English settler was ultimately a failure, and it is a failure that can be summed up by a single song in the movie.

Yes, you just heard a Disney song about the systematic killing of Native Americans by English settlers. There are other issues with this film of course (the time wasted on critter adventures, Pocahontas magically learning English, a matriarchal tree, etc.), but the biggest problem with this film is its simultaneous dedication to Disney whitewashing and to accurately portraying the English settlement.

This film isn’t worthless though; Colors of the Wind is a good song, and the animation sequence is one of the most beautiful sequences in Western animation. The animation in this film is also fantastic; I personally see it as the best animation of any Disney Renaissance film. Pocahontas was still commercially successful though, despite being a total critical flop, and despite its failings, it is still fondly remembered by many (nostalgia blinded) people.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

This is the darkest film of the Disney Renaissance. Because of this, it is also almost my favorite. Almost. Ultimately, The Lion King beats it out because of the way The Hunchback of Notre Dame ended (and this is a subject that I will delve into in a later post).

Hunchback was a critical success, even though it made less than Pocahontas. It dealt with many of the issues plaguing the Catholic Church in the 14th century, such as their treatment of the poor, and the persecution of gypsies. It also dealt with sexism in the Church and the experiences of the outcast. The animation was also heavily inspired by Gothic art styles, and Gothic cathedrals served as some of the most beautiful settings of any Disney film.

Hercules (1997)

Yeah, fuck this movie. And its reviews. And its sales.

Next.

Mul(((((999…..

Okay, fine, I’ll talk about Hercules. Despite my previous statement, I don’t actually hate this movie. It’s got great animation with a unique style, the music is solid, and it has fantastic voice acting. But every other film from the Disney Renaissance is also beautifully animated with a good score and solid voice acting. So, why the hell do people remember this movie so fondly?

I mean, it has one truly great character (Hades), but almost all the other characters follow “heroic” tropes to a T. Hercules is your standard good guy hero, Phil is your standard trainer, Zeus is an absent, uninvolved god, and Megara… Well Megara is actually a pretty cool antihero/seductress with a complicated history. BUT THAT’S STILL ONLY TWO GOOD CHARACTER!

And there’s a reason for this. Hercules was made because Ron Clements and John Musker had had their followup to Aladdin shot down by Jeffrey Katzenberg. Since they still wanted to make their initial idea, they pitched a film that they knew would be commercially successful in order to get their followup greenlit automatically. The commercially successful film they pitched was Hercules. The followup they wanted to make was Treasure Planet, a film I believe is just as well made as any of the other Renaissance films.

Mulan (1998)

$120,620,254 gross sales. Adoration from critics. Everyone loves this film, and I am no exception. The story is great, the music is memorable, Ming-Na Wen and Eddie Murphy steal the show, and the animation is a beautiful blend between the traditional Disney style and Chinese styles. I seriously can’t say anything bad about this, and anything good I have to say about this film has already been said by others.

Tarzan (1999)

The last film of the Renaissance, Tarzan, was a commercial success, and fared well critically as well. This was the first Disney film to incorporate CGI through a technique known as “Deep Canvas,” which allowed the artists to create digital backgrounds that looked like traditional animation. Tarzan was also (in)famously scored by Phil Collins, and the success of that score is incredibly controversial.

Despite the failings in the music department, Tarzan is still a good film. Its coming of age storyline is brilliant, Clayton is a sinister villain, and the tone of the film is surprisingly dark (the tone is hidden by the cheesy Phil Collins music though). In fact, I’d argue that Tarzan would be the greatest Renaissance film if its score had fit better with the overall tone. Still, Tarzan is a memorable film, and I enjoy it despite its flaws.

Post Renaissance (2000-now)

Tarzan is considered the last film in the Disney Renaissance for one reason: the next three movies Disney released were not musicals. They were all commercial and critical successes (except Dinosaur, which was only commercially successful), but they didn’t feel the same as the films of the Renaissance. Personally, I would argue that the Renaissance ended after Mulan. Tarzan’s score makes it feel just as cheesy as the decade it was from, and even though Hercules was cheesy, it was cheesy because it amplified all the tropes of the Renaissance to the nth degree. Tarzan was cheesy because it called on a popular singer to sing and write all the songs, and said popular singer (who was the essence of 80s pop) ended up making the film feel so much like the worst films of Disney’s competitor, Dreamworks.

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[sixbucks]

The Rock Johnson giving his best John Wick.

[abs0luteb4stard]

W A T C H I N G

[badassbutterfly1987]

2023 Movie Reviews

(films I watched between January and June)

5 stars

Puss 'n Boots The Last Wish (2023): Gorgeous animation, solid antagonists, and I loved the message.

Everest (2015): A disaster film but one that is both well-made and based on a real event, the 1996 expedition. There were a lot of characters to keep track of so I did get lost a few times but the emotional moments hit, especially the ending.

4 stars

John Wick 4 (2023): a mostly satisfying climax to the series, even if some of the scenes went on a little too long. New characters were great and I would love to see more of them if they return in the wider series now that John's story is seemingly done.

3 stars

DnD Honor Among Thieves (2023): A lot of fun, really liked the characters, even if some arcs felt underdeveloped.

Tranformers RotB (2023): Better than the weaker Bayformers entries but didn't have the same heart as Bumblebee (2018). The characters, aside from the human leads, felt a little underwritten and fight scenes just didn't have the same weight (not sure if it's a CGI problem or a choreography problem).

The Watcher (2000): Keanu Reeves plays a serial killer and it's strangely compelling, especially his interactions with James Spader's lead character. Extra points to the one victim that fights back and almost survives. Rest of the film is very mediocre and marred by early 2000s style editing.

2 stars

Antman Quantumania (2023): a middle of the road MCU film, not much more to it than that. Which is pretty disappointing after I loved the first two, this one just didn't have the same heart. Villain was cool at least, though I'm not sure he's interesting enough to be the new arc villain of the MCU. Definitely felt like the film was cut up in post-production.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008): A pretty lackluster remake that recontextualizes fear of nuclear war into fear of global warming but doesn't portray that message as well. Keanu Reeves' version of Klaatu works surprisingly well; he's much colder than the original and just the right level of unsettling that fits with the difference in his mission. Wish the rest of the film was better because I actually like the updated ideas.

The Rain Killer (1990): A noir-esque film that just doesn't work. Characters act in borderline nonsensical ways that accidentally make it compelling in that I was trying to figure out motives but that doesn't make it satisfying. Horny and generally mysogonistic and the story isn't good enough to make up for it.

1 star

The Legend of Hercules (2014): Scott Adkins as Amphitryon is the one bright spark in this because he's just having fun as an over the top villain. Shame the rest of the film is bland and boring and just generally a lacking re-telling of the Hercules myth (I swear they made changes that make it feel more Christian and I don't know how to feel about that).

[whynot-movies]

Hercules (2014)

[jasonsutekh]

Hercules (2014)

The famed son of Zeus is recruited, along with his comrades, to defend the kingdom of Thrace from insurgents.

Although the plot is fairly basic and saves time by drawing on a story most of the audience will already know, it still has enough twists to remain entertaining in the gaps between fight scenes. The references to the original myths are muddled somewhat which is in keeping with the oratory nature of the stories and the many versions that are recorded today.

There are no actual monsters which is a big let-down, they’re just cut-aways to stories or hallucinations, the rest is just a fake up but it’s interesting to see how they bring some aspects into the real world of the film. We see very little of the revolutionaries after their capture which is disappointing, one would expect some development from them. It’s never made clear if Hercules is really strong or not as he manages superhuman feats but it’s not specifically remarked upon.

The effects are all good quality, most notable the monsters which makes it all the more of a shame that they get so very little screen time. The choreography of the battles is at least interesting as some real ancient stratagems are used and there are some traps too which keep it engaging. Some of the actors also work out well in their roles, nobody falls short.

Much of the run time is taken up by long action sequences that barely even need any dialogue and only provide superficial entertainment. The universe in which the film takes place is a sadly dull version of Ancient Greece, eradicating much of the culture apart from columns. We see none of the beautiful lettering, the birth of democracy, or the attitudes towards sex and relationships that was arguably more modern than today's view of it.

3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there!-

-The wirter died the year of the release after having disowned the movie, despite this, condolences were still used as a way of advertising it.

-The original Greek name of the character was Heracles, Hercules is the Roman version of the name.

-The Trojan War is referenced as a past event, but in most myths Hercules died before the war.

[xxskaboyxx]

i never thought i would have much luck finding a good result for “whip made out of human spine” BUT HERE WE FUCKING ARE BABEYYYYYYYYYY

[gownegirl]

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! — Legally Blonde (2001) — Gone Girl (2014) — Crazy Rich Asians (2018) — Wonder Woman (2017) — Little Women (2019) — Hercules (1997) — How to Get Away with Murder (2014 - 2020) — Suspiria (2018)

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Hi, Salome! I watching a movie with my dad today and, suddenly, sitting on the couch I envisioned the character in front of my eyes as König from 'FATUM NOS IUNGEBIT'. I guess I just thought him similar from @shkretart 's version (which is incredible btw!).

Do you think your König in this AU resembles Hercules from 'The Legend of Hercules' (2014)? Even if a lot bigger and wilder? I love your work!

(Here are some of Hercules pics!)

A lot bigger and wilder, yes!!!

I love the overall aura this guy has, slightly playful, slightly menacing. Though König, having seen slavery, gladiator fights and military life, might not look so… symmetrically pretty? And while he would look absolutely gorgeous with a short Roman haircut, I think König might sometimes rebel against the norms and wear his hair a bit longer, maybe tie it with a thin leather strap etc (since he’s not actually Roman!) This is in no way meant to bash these pics you sent me which are amazing and fitting, I just started to ramble as per usual! ^^ Love to talk about Roman!König forever and always!

And don't you dare mention shkretart’s version of him 😭 It's like an illustration from the holy scriptures to me, the one and only König fanart I truly bow down to! ❤️❤️❤️

That being said I also love to imagine König as this battered, hollow-cheeked, slightly cross-eyed dude who hopefully has a chipped tooth or two, why not a hockey smile… Or maybe his nose is broken and it healed ugly, he has lines on his face from frowning all the time, alarmingly deep-set eyes, just something or a bunch of things that make him less conventionally handsome. You know, the type of guy you don’t know if you want to smile more or less because it’s always a bit unsettling when he does? 😶‍🌫️