Hercules (2014)

Having endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.

Director:

Brett Ratner

Writers:

Ryan J. Condal (screenplay by), Evan Spiliotopoulos (screenplay by)

Stars:

Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Ian McShane

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dwayne Johnson	...	Hercules
Ian McShane	...	Amphiaraus
John Hurt	...	Lord Cotys
Rufus Sewell	...	Autolycus
Aksel Hennie	...	Tydeus
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal	...	Atalanta
Reece Ritchie	...	Iolaus
Joseph Fiennes	...	King Eurystheus
Tobias Santelmann	...	Rhesus
Peter Mullan	...	Sitacles
Rebecca Ferguson	...	Ergenia
Isaac Andrews	...	Arius
Joe Anderson	...	Phineas
Stephen Peacocke	...	Stephanos
Nicholas Moss	...	Demetrius (as Nick Moss)

Storyline

1400 B.C., a tormented soul walked the Earth that was neither man nor god. Hercules (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) was the powerful son of the god King Zeus. For this, he received nothing but suffering his entire life. After twelve arduous labors, and the death of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods finding his only solace in bloody battle. Over the years, he warmed to the company of six similar souls, their only bond being their love of fighting, and the presence of death. These men and women never question where they go to fight, or why, or whom, just how much they will be paid. Now, the King of Thrace, Lord Cotys (Sir John Hurt) has hired these mercenaries to train his men to become the greatest army of all time. It is time for this bunch of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen, when they must train an army to become as ruthless and bloodthirsty as their reputation has become.

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Plot Keywords:

hercules | greek mythology | civil war | ancient greece | female warrior | 

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Taglines:

Before he was a legend, he was a man.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences, violence, suggestive comments, brief strong language and partial nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Brazil]

Country:

USA Hungary

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hercules

Filming Locations:

Origo Film Studio, Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,800,263, 27 July 2014

Gross USA:

$72,688,614

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$244,819,862

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Flynn Picture Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 101 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Atmos SDDS Auro 11.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joseph Fiennes played King Eurystheus. His older brother, Ralph Fiennes, played Hades in Clash of the Titans (2010) and Wrath of the Titans (2012), which were also based on Greek mythology.

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Goofs

The opening tells us that the date is 358 BC, yet the cultures and governments depicted in the movie are typical of a much earlier time, possibly even 1358 BC. One of the most telling details is that Eurystheus is called the King of Athens, an office abolished at least 400 years earlier when Athens became a republic.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Amphiaraus: No matter how far you go, man cannot escape his fate. Who are you? Are you a murderer? Are you a mercenary who turns his back on the innocent? We believe in you! We have faith in you! Remember the deeds you have performed, the labors you have overcome! Are you only the legend, or are you truth behind the legend? Now, tell me, WHO ARE YOU?
Hercules: I AM HERCULES!

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Crazy Credits

When the credits roll, there is a 3d animation sequence going over Hercules' labors against the beasts which shows how his companions helped him to slay them.

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Alternate Versions

The theatrical version was pre-cut following advice from the BBFC to remove "bloody detail" in three scenes, in order to obtain a 12A rating. These cuts persisted into every theatrical version worldwide, and was the version was also released on DVD/Blu-ray in the UK.

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Connections

Featured in The Effects of 'Hercules' (2014)

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Soundtracks

Jungle
Written by Jamie N. Commons (as Jamie N Commons), Mike Del Rio (as Michael Gonzalez), Alex da Kid (as Alexander Grant) and Sam Nelson Harris (as Samuel Harris)
Performed by Jamie N. Commons (as Jamie N Commons) and X Ambassadors
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

More Braun than Brain

Look, I know going into a Brett Ratner film starring The Rock as Hercules shouldn't have expectations high, but I expected more from this. Right from the start of the film we are immersed into a world without character development and rushed story telling.

The action scenes are all very well shot (by PG-13 standards) but everything else is subpar. Besides Dwayne Johnson most performers range from hammy to awkward, and the special effects are nothing special.

If you are capable of 100% turning your brain off, I'm talking Transformers level, you may be able to enjoy this film. But all others need not give this myth any more life.