Hercules and the Captive Women Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Hercules and the Captive Women Blu-ray Movie Review

LOL, "Blood of Uranus".

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 26, 2021

First released as Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis to Italian audiences in 1961, Vittorio Cottafavi's Technicolor film Hercules and the Captive Women made its way to the U.S. two years later under that new title... along with re-dubbed dialogue, a different score, several minutes trimmed off, and a new opening credits sequence produced by Filmation, an up-and-coming studio later known for animated fare like The New Adventures of Superman and 80s hits including He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Similarly, the film itself is perhaps more famous for its spotlight appearance on the long-running show Mystery Science Theater 3000 during its fourth season in 1992, which should give newcomers an idea of what they're in for here. Highbrow cinema this ain't, but it's still a fun adventure worth revisiting.

Story-wise, Hercules and the Captive Women is lightweight and gets by mostly on its respectable production design and a flair for colorful locales. The plot largely concerns our legendary strongman (Reg Park) and his adventures after falling from a ship commanded by King Androcles of Thebes (Ettore Manni), whose crew was en route to confront an unknown enemy foretold by Greek oracles. Washing ashore on a mysterious island, Herc rescues lovely young Ismene (Laura Efrikian) from the shape-shifting god Proteus (Maurizio Coffarelli) and soon learns her true identity as the daughter of Atlantean queen Antinea (Fay Spain). Upon returning Ismene to her mother, however, shit gets real: the lovely young princess is due to be sacrificed to fulfill a prophecy, while Atlantis' young men are being transformed into an army of black-clad and eerily identical warriors (below) almost capable of outmatching The Man himself. Almost.

Hercules and the Captive Women doubles as the first starring role for the massively built Park, an English bodybuilder, three-time Mr. Universe, and future mentor of Arnold Schwarzenegger who would reprise the Greek half-god in three more Hercules films later that decade. Park brings a jovial (and obviously imposing) presence to the celebrated hero but still pales in comparison to other on-screen portrayals by Steve Reeves (the original 1957 film) and Gordon Scott (Hercules Against Moloch) in the charisma department, armed with a few goofy facial expressions that must be seen to be believed. (To be fair, though, two dozen Italian films starring the character were released between 1957 and 1965, so Park almost couldn't help but get lost in the shuffle.) He'd improve his range capably enough for future installments -- including the 1963 follow-up Hercules in the Haunted World, co-starring Christopher Lee -- but Park's less-than-optimal on-screen chops don't necessarily sink this ship. It's those shifts between lighter moments and more dramatic material that keep Hercules and the Captive Women interesting, not Park's novice active ability.

Hercules and the Captive Women is an enjoyable adventure, and maybe -- just maybe -- a little better than its MST3K reputation implies. Sixty years later, who'd have thought a movie like this would be ripe for resurrection? But fans on both sides of the fence will appreciate The Film Detective's welcome new Blu-ray package, which affords the film a noble enough A/V upgrade while also playing up its MST3K connection with the full 1992 episode as a bonus feature, as well as a DVD-era introduction by one of the show's writers and co- stars, Frank Conniff. It's a well-rounded package overall, even if most of us would've rather had the original Steve Reeves film on Blu-ray first.

Hercules and the Captive Women Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While its 70mm Super Technirama roots suggest Hollywood-level visuals bolstered by ultra-vivid colors, the majority of Hercules and the Captive Women looks fairly soft and washed out -- even more so than the included MST3K version, at times. And yes, even the brightest outdoor locales aren't exactly bursting with depth, either. But this 1080p transfer is anything but disappointing in other departments, as fine detail and overall density levels are quite good and film grain, while not consistently visible, is at least present during key moments. It's very clean with occasional -- but hardly distracting -- hints of dirt and debris, and the picture appears largely free from compression artifacts despite taking up less than half of a dual-layered disc and being encoded with an outdated MPEG-2 codec. Perhaps the only genuine technical issue here is the horizontally-stretched opening titles; as seen in the pan-and-scan MST3K version, it's quite obvious they were composed for a 4x3 aspect ratio and, when pulled all the way to 2.20:1, this shape-shifting doesn't do it any visual favors. But I'll admit to being otherwise unfamiliar with the film's American theatrical presentation, so for all I know that's how it's supposed to look. Either way, this new restoration (advertised as a 4K scan of the original camera negative, which is suspect since prints only exist for this cut) is hardly a flawless effort but, when compared to previous home video versions, it clearly represents the film's best showing in decades.

Hercules and the Captive Women Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio mix, preserving this cut's English-dubbed dialogue in lossless mono, inches a little closer to a genuinely satisfying presentation. Although its seams are perhaps more evident at times -- both in the quality of the dubbing itself, as well as the inherent volume level issues with presentations of this type -- it's a largely clean and crisp presentation that's balances reasonably well and often flirts with a more ambitious atmosphere than its one-channel source can actually reach. No obvious drop-outs, crackles, or other defects could be heard along the way, rounding out what's a pretty plain-wrap but perfectly acceptable effort.

Optional English and Spanish subtitles are offering during the main feature... and even the included audio commentary, which is really nice. Most major studios don't even do this.

Hercules and the Captive Women Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with original one-sheet poster artwork and a nice booklet -- which, outside of Criterion releases, are somewhat rare these days. A nice little mix of bonus features is also included.

• Hercules and the Conquest of Cinema (19:27) - An all-new -- and very nicely produced -- featurette that briefly covers the Italian cinema boom that gave rise to Hercules' big-screen popularity during the late 1950s and most of the 60s, while touching upon several popular filmed installments including those starring Steve Reeves and Reg Park. A surprisingly historical and very informative piece.

• Introduction by Frank Conniff (3:02) - The famed Mystery Science Theater 3000 writer and co-star offers a quick appreciation during this short introduction, which looks to have been originally created for an eariler DVD collection released by Shout Factory.

• Mystery Science Theater 3000 Version (91:59) - This full-length 1992 episode, complete with its lengthy introduction and bridging skits, offers fans and first-timers a second-row seat to the show's unique brand of sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek commentary, most of which lovingly skewers Hercules and the Captive Women during most of this slightly abridged "theatrical presentation".

• Audio Commentary - This full-length commentary track -- which plays during the restored feature, not the MST3K version, obviously -- features film critic and screenwriter Tim Lucas, who explores the film's history and legacy with an entertaining and informative series of comments. Talking points include the original Italian cut, differences between the two (as well as another English-dubbed version released in the UK), the special effects and production design, cinematography and set construction, the supporting cast, Greek history and legends, other Hercules films, second unit photography, the different scores, and much more.

• Booklet - A 12-page booklet that primarily features an essay by C. Courtney Joyner titled "Duel of the Titans: Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, and Reg Park Become Heroes", as well as a few captioned production stills.

Hercules and the Captive Women Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Vittorio Cottafavi's Hercules and the Captive Women (known in its original, uncut form as Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis) is a largely entertaining sword-and-sandals production that, while unavoidably goofy due to its effects work and the lead performance by newcomer Reg Park, still registers as fun weekend afternoon material. If you're at all into the character or this brand of fantasy entertainment, there are much worse ways to spend 95 minutes -- and even if you're a newbie, The Film Detective's new Blu-ray makes for a fun blind buy. It's A/V presentation, while not flawless, has its merits and the bonus features are all worth digging through. Recommended to the right audience.