I came into Hercules not expecting much. One of those movies you consider watching when it hits home and you forget about it until one day it’s knocking on your door. I typically like this genre of movie and I gotta say I liked this the more it went on.

Hercules is a man of legend. He’s essentially a mercenary who travels about looking to help people out, saving his coin to eventually retire somewhere quiet. Through his adventures he’s made a few friends that fight by his side. We are introduced to them in the first scene where they are finishing up a job. In their downtime, they are approached by the daughter of the King of Thrace, who is looking for help to fend off a warlord from taking over their kingdom. But all is not what it seems!

So what did I like? First and for most, Dwayne Johnson. The guy just has screen presence. He’s just fun to watch and he plays Hercules well. He’s got the size for it and he’s got the look and chops to be able to oscillate between being a likable hero to a ferocious hero that crushes skulls. The supporting cast is very good too, Hercules is surrounded by some cool characters. It’s a well produced movie as well. Big battle scenes, cool interiors and exteriors, good fight choreography. I watched the unrated version which was rather odd as this is a pretty bloodless movie. Any real carnage isn’t shown on camera. There’s some great CG work as well, there’s a lot of stuff that integrates so well you’d never know it wasn’t real without watching the special features (I’m really impressed by the wolves). I didn’t know Brett Ratner directed this until the credits. It’s competent direction, nothing special or terrible.

I also liked their take on Hercules. His legend is really in his stories. They grounded everything in reality where his tales of killing giant town leveling beasts and a 5 headed hydra are actually exaggerations of what he did. What people thought was a monster, was just men wearing elaborate armor for example. Hercules is still an accomplished hero with amazing strength, but the lore surrounding him just adds to his name (and he doesn’t let it go to his head).

I think the movie starts off a bit to typically, but as it goes on it just gets better. You get to know the characters well, the scenes build well and the end is really satisfying. Feels like you’re watching an adventure unfold right in front of you. I can’t ask for anything more from a movie!