Overhauled by his past misdeeds, Hercules decides to be a mercenary, and his chance came when the king of Thrace hired him to fight against a brutal warlord.
The battle scenes, though rousing, fall short of epic. But it's reliably fun to watch - up until the brutish, smudgy conclusion ...
Examiner.com
November 03, 2014
Johnson has a ball with the role, and there's something to be said for the exciting third act, but that doesn't make up for the sheer drudgery of the first two-thirds of the film that feature terrible pacing and very little characterization.
While the action sequences are decently staged, they would have been much better if I'd actually been able to see them, the film being shot in a gloomy murk which 3D does absolutely nothing to help.
Director Brett Ratner's vision to debunk all of the mythology behind Hercules is a unique one, but it ultimately paves the way for a generic and often boring film.
"Hercules" heaves and grunts along, interrupted by battle scenes that are visually impressive (when's the last time you saw someone pick up a horse and throw it?) but emotionally uninvolving.
