The theme of ancient heroes, great feats, the struggle of gods and mere mortals with monsters is always interesting to the audience. On the screen it always looks beautiful and spectacular. Therefore, so many films on ancient myths and legendary epics have been created, are being created and will still appear in the future. 2014 was no exception - the film “Hercules” was released this summer, telling about the exploits of the legendary ancient Greek mythical hero.
The myth of Hercules
As you know, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman - Hercules - in a fit of insanity, which was sent to him by the goddess Hero, killed his wife, children and two nephews. Wanting to atone for his terrible crime, he turned to the Delphic oracle. In punishment, he was assigned to serve with King Eurystheus for 12 years, fulfilling all his orders. The Tyrrhenian ruler, wishing for the death of the hero, sent him to fulfill the impossible acts of a mere mortal. In the service of the ruler of Tiryns, Hercules performed 12 feats, after which he was cleansed by the oracle, and the stigma of the criminal was removed from him.
The plot of the picture
The film "Hercules", the reviews of which are diverse and ambiguous, is very different in its plot from the usual myth of the great Greek hero. Actually, the exploits themselves take about 10 minutes of screen time on the strength. The 2014 Hercules painting is not about that at all.
It is that even the greatest heroes can be deceived, can make such a mistake out of ignorance, which will lead to terrible consequences. The film "Hercules" does not tell about the heroic deeds of the hero, but about the fact that, having stumbled, you need to find the strength to admit your guilt and try to correct what happened, even at the cost of your life.
According to the plot of the film, the hero after performing feats gets cleansed from the blood of his loved ones spilled. But now he is clean only before the law and people, Hercules cannot forgive himself and is constantly tormented by guilt, which leads to nightmares. He goes into voluntary exile, engaging in the service of various rulers. Gradually, a team of the same professional warriors gathers around the hero. They travel around the country, fighting on the side of the one who pays the most.
But Hercules was not embittered, did not harden in his heart. He will never betray or kill innocent people. Knowing this, but wishing to get the hero for himself, the king of Thrace Cotis tricked Hercules into the service. He pretends to want peace and prosperity, but in fact his dream is to create an empire and conquer all of Greece. Without knowing this and thinking that it saves the defenseless, Hercules and his comrades set about training the Thracian army and quickly succeeds.
But gradually the hero begins to realize that he is training for the defenders and future conquerors, and Kotis intends to attack the homeland of Hercules. The son of Zeus faces a choice: to take the promised huge amount of money and let the events go their own way or stand in the way of a strong army created by him.
The leading actor is the perfect Hercules.
Dwayne Johnson was born, brilliantly playing the role of the great Greek hero demigod, in a family that was closely associated with wrestling. Dwayne Johnson's father and grandfather were professional wrestlers. At school, he began to play American football, but after graduating from the university, he played the entire season with the Canadian Football League team and was forced to quit his football career because of a back injury.
A year later, he decided to return to sports and try himself in wrestling. Thus, Johnson became the third representative in the wrestling dynasty. In the ring, he soon became known as The Rock - Rock.
Like many famous athletes with a textured appearance, Dwayne Johnson could not help but interest the film industry. First, he plays minor characters. He played his first major role in the 2002 film “The Scorpion King”. After that, the actor began to act actively, and today his filmography includes more than 30 famous films.
Dwayne Johnson - Hercules, which the viewer has not yet seen
If one of the modern actors was to play the greatest hero of Ancient Greece, then this is Dwayne Johnson. And this is not only a matter of the excellent physical data of the actor, ideally suited for this role. Johnson managed to embody the image of a hero who is close to the viewer with his experiences, in which there is practically no grandeur and inaccessibility of the son of God.
About his role in the film "Hercules", the reviews of critics about which are very positive, the actor said briefly that he was born for her.
A lot of films and series have been made about Hercules. His actors played good and not very. But among all Johnson stands out for his prudence, wisdom and humanity. Perhaps this is exactly what the mythical hero of Greece should have been. The role of the actor, of course, was a success - Johnson does not annoy on the screen, but looks very harmonious and realistic.
"Hercules" 2014 - reviews of the movie audience
Opinions of the audience about the new tape are sharply diametrical. Some praise her and consider the role of Hercules the most successful work of Johnson and the director of the film. Another part of the audience scolds her and says that the film is not at all what they expected to see.
The fact is that everyone is used to it - where Hercules is located, there must be his exploits. But this time the director decided to tell a story about something completely different. Therefore, those who longed for spectacular scenes of the hero’s fights with the hydra, the Nemean lion or the Stiffalia birds were disappointed not seeing this in the film “Hercules”.
The feedback from the audience is understandable. Those who hoped to see the heroic exploits of the hero consider themselves deceived in expectations. Film lovers who carry a certain message appeal to the feelings of the audience, on the contrary, are delighted with the news of the film industry. What do film critics say?
Expert opinion on the film
Film critics mostly praise the story of Hercules, told by director Brett Ratner. They liked that the pretentiousness and pathos were removed from the film, leaving a realistic, simple story that a person chooses who he should be.
The central figure in the film was undoubtedly Johnson. In this picture, he, according to critics, convincingly proved himself to be a real Hercules. The actor managed to convey both the doubts of the hero and his rage.
Interesting facts about the film
The new tape was the debut for the famous model Irina Shayk. The role she got was modest, but important - she played the wife of Hercules Megaru, whom he killed in a fit of madness. Although the model got the role without words, Dwayne Johnson was very pleased with her work.
The release of the film "Hercules", reviews of which are ambiguous, could not do without scandal. The film was based on the comic book by Steve Moore, who said that the publisher, which sold the rights to its adaptation, did not agree with him on its decision. In response to this, Moore forbade the mention of his name in the advertisement of the film. After his death in March 2014, the filmmakers still returned Moore to the credits.
Should I watch a new film about the greatest hero of Greece?
Undoubtedly, the film “Hercules” (2014), reviews of which are quite diverse, is worth a look, if only for the sake of magnificent battle scenes. The director of the film approached his task of showing realistic battles in a very responsible manner. In order to gain sufficient physical fitness, Dwayne Johnson had to train for eight months. The actress, who played the role of Hercules companion, a magnificent archer, passed a special training course in archery. In addition, since in the film “Hercules”, which is mostly positive about the audience, there are a lot of scenes with chariots, all the actors had to learn a month to properly balance when traveling on these ancient carts.
Such a professional and serious approach to the training of actors led to the desired effect - the scenes of battles, battles and skirmishes between heroes and enemies look great, spectacular and realistic. Add to this a strong script and a great acting team, which looked very harmonious on the screen. Oddly enough, but in this film we managed to do without a love story, and the picture "Hercules" only benefited from this.