The Legend of Hercules (2014)

The Legend of Hercules: Directed by Renny Harlin. With Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, Roxanne McKee. The origin story of 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.

“Hercules is not entirely a disaster, as one might expect. A low-budget PG-13 adaptation of 300-style movies made in Bulgaria, this movie is in line with the expectations on what Renny Harlin is capable of.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile not being a disaster on a whole, itu0026#39;s a disaster in parts. The special effects, while being descent 3D images at times, are badly connected with live shots. There are many moments when perspective of such sequences is distorted in really obvious (and unintentionally funny) ways. There are numerous anachronisms. Characters use costumes and jewelry that could not be available in ancient Greece. Screenplay, while not being completely absurd, has some rather awkward dialog lines and unexplainable plot moments.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnfortunately, the movie is not a Hercules legend but rather a shallow love story and family drama. Thereu0026#39;s even a bathing scene in a romantic- looking pond with flowers under a waterfall (the water in the pond is so dirty though that one can only feel pity for the actors). There are no heroic deeds of Hercules depicted in this movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne last blow for Hercules is PG-13 rating. Thereu0026#39;s no blood at all. When swords pierce bodies, they re-appear absolutely clean. When one of the characters was struck in the neck, the next shot showed his neck without a sign of a would or even a drop of blood. One of the few things the movie managed to deliver were some dynamic battle sequences; but PG- 13 made them look fake. In the age of 300 and Spartacus TV show, this is not something you want to waste your time on.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnless you wish to add to a surprising $8 mln box office success after its first weekend, which will probably make this movie more profitable than most other current releases.”