LogFAQs > #983496000

Hercules
Originally released June 27, 1997

This was one of my favorites as a kid. It came out at a time when I was a huge, huge nerd for Greek mythology, and despite Young Me being a huge nerd who was bothered by the inaccuracies here (not talking about the expected pop culture references), I still loved it. As an adult, I'm more able to recognize that just like Pocahontas before it, Disney wasn't REALLY trying to tell the story of Hercules here; they were trying to tell the story of Superman.

All the gods are gathered on Mount Olympus to celebrate the birth of Zeus and Hera's son, the baby Heracles -- er, Hercules. I guess just making him the son of two gods is easier on kids than saying Zeus turned into a goat and banged a mortal woman and Hera actually wanted him dead. (It also works better with this movie being a Superman retelling) Hades isn't as thrilled with the birth because he hates the job Zeus gave him in the Underworld, and upon learning that his plan to release the Titans and conquer Olympus will fail if Hercules fights, he pulls a Maleficent and decides to kill the baby.

Hades sends his mandatory comedy relief minions, Pain and Panic, to feed kidnap Hercules and feed him a potion that will turn him mortal. They get scared off by Ma and Pa Kent before the baby can finish the entire bottle, and fail to kill him because he's still super strong. The Kents raise Hercules into a young man who destroys the entire village market because he's clumsy and everyone hates him.

That night, they reveal to Hercules that he's adopted, and he sets off to the Temple of Zeus to find out who his parents are. Zeus possesses his own statue and tells Hercules that he's a Kryptonian, and can only regain his godhood if he becomes a true hero. Reuniting him with his childhood bird-horse Pegasus, Zeus sends him to find Philoctetes, the Trainer of Heroes. Phil is retired and disillusioned, but after a display of strength from Hercules and a smiting from Zeus, he agrees to train him.

After Herc buffs up, Phil takes him to go start his hero career. Hercules' first accomplishment is to rescue the aggressively sarcastic Megara from a centaur. He's smitten with her but Pegasus and Phil hate her, probably because she's secretly working for Hades, who gets pissed when he finds out Hercules is still alive. Phil takes Hercules to the city of Metropolis -- er, Thebes -- where everyone is unconvinced of his heroics. Meg appears to beg for help rescuing two boys from a landslide. Hercules helps out and saves the boys, who are actually a shapeshifted Pain and Panic, and releases a computer-animated hydra, which he kills with rocks.

Now that the people of Thebes are convinced that Hercules is, in fact, a hero, he gets a celebrity montage and becomes rich. While bragging to Zeus' statue, Hercules learns he's not yet a true hero, just famous. Hades orders Meg to learn what Hercules' weakness is, and when she fails to find one but falls in love instead, Hades concludes that she is his weakness. Phil overhears this and runs off to warn Hercules, but rather than outright say "I saw Megara and Hades scheming", he beats around the bush until he gets frustrated and leaves.

Hades makes a deal with Hercules to release Meg in exchange for Herc giving up his strength for 24 hours, which Hercules accepts on the condition that Megara isn't hurt in the battle to come. Hades releases the Titans, who immediately begin killing people and horses and march on Olympus. Hades orders a giant gross cyclops to kill Hercules, but Herc kills the cyclops by shoving him off a cliff after Phil returns to give him a pep talk. Meg shoves him out of the way of a falling pillar, getting crushed in the process and breaking Hades' deal. Hercules gets his strength back and flies off to Olympus to stop the Titans and imprison them again.

With Olympus and the gods saved, Meg dies and her soul is taken to the Underworld. Hercules storms the gates and threatens Hades, who shows him his Soulnado. Herc offers a deal to trade places with Meg, and Hades accepts, knowing that Hercules won't survive the attempt to save her soul anyway. Hercules dives into the Soulnado and his godhood is restored, allowing him to escape with Megara and shove Hades in to be attacked by hundreds of dead Greeks. The gods are ready to welcome Hercules back to Olympus, but he chooses to remain mortal and live with Meg. Phil makes out with Aphrodite. The End.

This movie is a well-paced blast to watch, with a visual style that really stands out in the Renaissance Era. It's a bit more cartoony, but also looks kind of like Greek pottery art in a lot of ways, particularly the sharp angles and the swirly detail work on the characters and their hair/clothing. Every song is an upbeat, catchy bop, even the mandatory "oh fuck I love him" song from Megara. James Woods, complete asshole that he is, still does a fantastic job with Hades, and Danny DeVito is such a perfect pick for Phil that he needs to reprise the role in the live-action version, Zeusdammit. The plot is definitely more Superman than it is Hercules, but it's still handled in a way that feels more fun and accurate than when they tried to turn Romeo and Juliet into Pocahontas.

Final Score: 10/10