6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Long ago a tormented soul named Hercules walked the earth. Being the son of Zeus was a curse. He received nothing but suffering his entire life because of it. After twelve arduous tasks and the loss of his family, he turned his back on the gods finding his only solace in the heat of battle. Over the years he forged an alliance with six other like minded rogues. Their only bond was their love of battle and the presence of death. This motley crew never questions where, why or for whom they fight, just the amount paid for their bloody labor. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to train his men to become the greatest army of all time. The realization of how far they have fallen hits them hard. They must train the army to be as ruthless and blood thirsty as they have become!
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Aksel HennieAction | 100% |
Adventure | 76% |
Fantasy | 55% |
Comic book | 39% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
How can a movie sourced from material so richly deep and so historically significant and featuring a character so legendary and instantly recognizable fall this flat? The latest film to feature the famous half-man, half-god Hercules, and the second of 2014, fails to capture the imagination or excite the senses in any way. It's a handsome movie on the surface but disturbingly empty below, a picture that perfectly defines the "paint by number" formula that so often leads to just this sort of typically vapid Hollywood experience. Hercules, helmed by Director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand) who is unquestionably one of Hollywood's most polarizing filmmakers, does nothing to improve his shaky standing amongst a divided fan base with this film. Ratner excels at following formula and Hercules, then, is his crown jewel, a movie so devoid of character that it feels like "Hercules" in name only and plays more like any forgettably generic Hollywood period piece that emphasizes marketing over meat, sales over story, and droves of fans over drama on screen. It's not an abysmal failure -- it's well made, generally -- but it absolutely epitomizes the modern spectacle film that's more a product of a carefully calculated bottom line than it is the result of the filmmakers' burning passion to make the best movie possible.
Hercules.
Hercules' 3D effort isn't, well, herculean, but it gets the job done. Basic depth satisfies in most every scene, with a good, perceptible sense of spacing throughout the image, both when looking at wide or distant shots or relatively up-close character dialogue moments. Lower-level shots are particularly impressive as the camera lies down at ground level in a few early moments that give a particularly nice sense of distance from camera to background. Columns of objects, like ranks of soldiers, serve as perhaps the most definitive examples of depth in the film with the tangible look of separation between them, aided by the even spacing but mostly bunched collection of humans in one place. There are a few extra-deep surprises, such as an early shoot where the camera looks far down the throat of a digital lion that Hercules must slay to pass one of his "labors." A few objects appear to spring out of the screen during battle, but viewers aren't frequently left dodging weapons or feeling poked and prodded by materials which appear to extend well beyond the screen. The basic image parameters are nearly as good as those found on the herein-included 2D-only presentation. Blacks suffer from some obvious crush through the 3D glasses filter, which accounts for the slightly lowered "video" score above, but the transfer is otherwise just as striking, with complex details -- skin textures, armor lines, terrains -- looking gorgeously realistic and finely textured. Colors remain striking and accurate, with flesh tones notably even and influenced only by surrounding lighting conditions. This 3D effort is solid, not one that pushes the boundaries of what to expect with home 3D viewing but a capable enough performer that 3D-enabled fans of the film should enjoy.
Hercules features a big, wide, and satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. It's a fine example of a major Action blockbuster audio presentation, with everything in perfect working order, delivered with not only electric stage presence but depth and clarity to match. Music is sweepingly large and precise, with notable clarity throughout and a wide, even delivery area, including a healthy surround support structure. Various scenes produce quality environmental ambience as well that help define a number of varied environments, from swamps to great halls. Small elemental details like creaking wood and crackling fire are likewise brilliantly presented. Battle scenes are beautifully chaotic and precise, with clanking armor, screaming combatants, stampeding horses, and other sounds of ancient battle chaos enveloping the listener with precise placement throughout the stage. Even minor details like whooshing arrows are never lost in the battles but are precisely tuned to make the most every occurrence. Dialogue is expectedly clear and center-focused, rounding a reference-worthy presentation into top form.
Hercules contains a healthy allotment of bonus content, all of which may be found on the included 2D-only disc, including an audio
commentary track, a handful of featurettes, and more than a
dozen deleted and extended scenes. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included in the case. Note that this release contains two cuts, one the
theatrical edition (1:38:04) and the other the extended cut (1:41:35). Note than no 3D exclusive bonuses are included.
Hercules reminds of another recent throwback-to-ancient-times movie, Pompeii, not so much in story but in the almost dizzying mediocrity and inability to capture the imagination despite a spectacular backdrop and grand potential. Both films emphasize style over structure and forget the importance of characterization and story substance. Hercules is particularly disturbing considering its meatier lead character and significantly richer mythology. Brett Ratner's film is almost completely empty. It's a good show but a flat movie and a reminder of how lacking the modern cinema landscape can so frequently be. Audiences interested in mindless moviemaking can certainly do much worse than this Hercules, but anyone looking for a movie with even an ounce of substance should look elsewhere. Paramount's Blu-ray 3D release of Hercules does deliver on the technical front. Excellent video, a solid 3D effort, and pristine audio are supported by a healthy array of bonus content. Worth a rental, no more.
2014
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Bonus Disc
2014
with 48-page booklet / In-store only
2014
Re-Release
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Standard Edition
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