Review: The Legend of Hercules
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Grade: D] Renny Harlin's unimaginative rip-off marathon ignores all that built-in B-movie gold for no good reason.
City Paper grade: D
The first of 2014's two movies dealing with Zeus' half-human son sets the bar so low that Brett Ratner could swap out his upcoming blockbuster Hercules for footage of beanpole Ryan Gosling in Young Hercules and still come out on top. The appeal of the Greek demigod has always rested in his many mythic adventures, but Renny Harlin's unimaginative rip-off marathon ignores all that built-in B-movie gold for no good reason. In its place: a stiff leading man (Twilight's Kellan Lutz), along with his d-bag brother (Liam Garrigan), perpetually confused love interest (Gaia Weiss) and royal parents (Scott Adkins and Roxanne McKee) who appear to be about six months older than their progeny. Touches lifted unceremoniously from Gladiator and 300 clutter the entirety of the movie's mercifully short running time, but Hercules is saved from complete misery by rising action star Adkins and his fondness for ass-kicking and awesome screaming.
