''The Legend of Hercules'' is a 2014 American 3D

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

directed by

Renny Harlin Renny Harlin (born 15 March 1959) is a Finnish film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter who has made his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood and Cinema of China, China. His best-known films include ''A Nightmare on Elm ...

, written by Daniel Giat and

Sean Hood Sean Hood (born August 13, 1966) is an American screenwriter and film director. Early life Hood graduated from Brown University, with a double major in pure mathematics and studio art, and then spent several years working in Hollywood as a set ...

, and starring

Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American actor and model. He made his film debut in ''Stick It'' (2006), and is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). He has since played Pos ...

, Gaia Weiss,

Scott Adkins Scott Edward Adkins (born 17 June 1976) is a British actor, film producer, screenwriter, gymnast, and martial artist. He is best known for his role as the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the ''Undisputed franchise''. He has played Yuri Boy ...

Roxanne McKee Roxanne McKee (born 10 August 1980) is a British actress and model. She is best known for playing Louise Summers in the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' (2005–2008), Lou Foster in the British drama series ''Lip Service'' (2010), Doreah in the A ...

, and

Liam Garrigan Liam Thomas Garrigan (born 17 October 1981) is an English actor. As a youth, he attended classes at Kingston upon Hull's Northern Stage Company and was a student at Wyke College, Kingston upon Hull. His first television role was as Nic Yorke in ...

. It was distributed by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

and released January 10, 2014, six months before another Hollywood-studio

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

film,

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

' and

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

's co-production ''

''. ''The Legend of Hercules'' was a

box-office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

and received universally negative reviews, unlike ''Hercules'', which was a financial box-office success and opened to far stronger reviews.

Plot

In 1200 BC

ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

, King

Amphitryon Amphitryon (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιτρύων, ''gen''.: Ἀμφιτρύωνος; usually interpreted as "harassing either side", Latin: Amphitruo), in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis. His mother was named ei ...

Tiryns Tiryns or (Ancient Greek: Τίρυνς; Modern Greek: Τίρυνθα) is a Mycenaean archaeological site in Argolis in the Peloponnese, and the location from which the mythical hero Heracles performed his Twelve Labours. It lies south of Myce ...

is conquering kingdoms in his thirst for more power, which disgusts his wife, Queen

Alcmene In Greek mythology, Alcmene () or Alcmena (; Ancient Greek: Ἀλκμήνη or Doric Greek: Ἀλκμάνα, Latin: Alcumena means "strong in wrath") was the wife of Amphitryon by whom she bore two children, Iphicles and Laonome. She is best known ...

. She prays to

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...

for guidance, and Hera's husband

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

impregnates Alcmene with the savior of her people, a demi-god son to be named

. Amphitryon names his new "son" Alcides, though Alcmene secretly acknowledges his true name as Hercules. Twenty years later, Prince Alcides (Hercules) is the lover of Princess Hebe of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

. Hercules and his older brother, Prince

Iphicles In Greek mythology, Iphicles ( or ; grc, Ἰφικλῆς ''Iphikles''), also called Iphiclus, was the maternal half-brother of Heracles and one of the Calydonian boar hunters. Family Iphicles was the son of Alcmene and her human husband Amp ...

, are attacked by a unusually strong Nemean lion, which Hercules strangles to death. Iphicles takes the credit at a royal banquet, but Hebe sees right through this lie. At the banquet Amphitryon announces the engagement of Hebe and Iphicles, while Hercules is sent away to a military campaign in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Alcmene tells him of his true lineage and that his name is Hercules, not Alcides. Alcides joins the command of Captain Sotiris in the Egyptian desert; their small company faces an ambush by Amphitryon meant to eliminate Hercules, and only Alcides and Sotiris survive. Hercules uses his gods-given name to conceal his identity as the prince. The two are sold off as slaves to Lucius, a promoter of

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

style fights, where they excel. Hercules defeats six previously-undefeated gladiators in an arena battle in Greece, which motivates members of Amphitryon's army to desert it and join Hercules and Sotiris, beginning a fight against Amphitryon's campaign of tyranny. Amphitryon is forced to hire foreign mercenaries as a result. When Alcides does not return as promised, Alcmene and Hebe assume he is dead. When Alcmene seeks guidance from Hera, Amphitryon discovers her and learns the truth of Hercules' parentage and that he is fated to overthrow him. Amphitryon stabs Alcmene with her own dagger, which he hides as a suicide. Iphicles threatens Sotiris' son, forcing Sotiris to lead him to Hercules. Iphicles is surprised to discover that Hercules is Alcides. Hercules is chained and publicly flogged, then watches in horror as Iphicles murders Chiron, Alcmene's loyal adviser, under Amphitryon's orders. In anguish he acknowledges Zeus as his father and calls upon him for strength. Hercules breaks free from his chains and kills Amphitryon's guard, though Amphitryon and Iphicles escape. Hercules and Sotiris raise an army and storm Amphitryon's palace. Amphitryon's palace guard join Hercules and his army and they battle Amphitryon's mercenaries. Hercules calls upon his father who infuses his sword with the power of lightning. Hercules defeats the mercenaries with his lightning sword, then meets Amphitryon in personal combat. Hercules nearly defeats Amphitryon but Iphicles holds Hebe hostage and threatens to kill her if Hercules does not let Amphitryon go. Hercules hesitates but Hebe thrusts the dagger through his shoulder, killing Iphicles. Hercules finally avenges Alcmene's death and kills Amphitryon with the same blade that killed his mother. Hercules rushes to Hebe's side as she slowly drifts into unconsciousness. Nearly a year later, the cries of a baby are heard, Hercules' and Hebe's son. That night, he watches over his kingdom, finally fulfilling his destiny.

Cast

(Alcides) * Gaia Weiss as Hebe *

as King Amphitryon *

as Queen Alcmene *

Liam McIntyre Liam James McIntyre (born 8 February 1982) is an Australian actor, best known for playing the lead role on the Starz television series '' Spartacus: Vengeance'' and '' War of the Damned'' and as Mark Mardon / Weather Wizard on ''The Flash''. He ...

as Sotiris *

Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija ( sr-Cyrl, Раде Шербеџија, ; born 27 July 1946) is a Croatian actor, director and musician. He is known for his portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law. He was one of the best known Yugoslav actors i ...

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...

Johnathon Schaech Johnathon Schaech ( ; born September 10, 1969) is an American actor and screenwriter. He has been working as an actor since the early '90s. Early life Johnathon Schaech was born in Edgewood, Maryland, in 1969 to Joe, a Baltimore City law enfo ...

as Tarak *

Luke Newberry Luke Newberry (born 19 February 1990) is an English actor. He is best known for his leading role in the drama television series '' In the Flesh'' (2013–2014), which earned him a British Academy Television Award nomination. Early life Newber ...

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; grc-gre, Ἀγαμέμνων ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Greeks during the Trojan War. He was the son, or grandson, of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husb ...

Jukka Hildén Jukka Hildén (born 3 August 1980) is a Finnish television personality and member of the entertainment and stunt group the Dudesons. Personal life Jukka Hildén was married to Outi Haapasalmi in 2010 but they divorced in February 2018. The pair ...

Creon Creon may refer to: Greek history * Creon, the first annual eponymous archon of Athens, 682–681 BC Greek mythology * Creon (king of Thebes), mythological king of Thebes * Creon (king of Corinth), father of Creusa/Glauce in Euripides' ''Medea' ...

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-born ...

as Lucius *

Mariah Gale Mariah Gale (born c.1980) is a British actress of film, stage and television. Early life She was born in Australia to an Australian mother and British father, both architects. She grew up in England. She studied at Birmingham University and the G ...

Kakia Kakia (Ancient Greek: Κακίαν) (meaning bad and evil), the Greek goddess of vice and moral badness, abominations (presumably, sin or crime), was depicted as a vain, plump, and heavily made-up woman dressed in revealing clothes. She was pres ...

Sarai Givaty Sarai Givaty-Luboschits ( he, שרי גבעתי; ) is an Israeli actress, singer-songwriter, and model As a musician, she is also known by her stage name ESH. Early life Born Sarai Givaty (or Givati) in Tiberias, Israel, to a family of Sephardic ...

as Saphirra * Dimiter Doichinov as King Galenus *

Richard Reid Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973), also known as the "Shoe Bomber", is the perpetrator of the failed shoe bombing attempt on a transatlantic flight in 2001. Born to a father who was a career criminal, Reid converted to Islam as a young ...

as Archer #1 *

Spencer Wilding Spencer Lee Wilding (born 26 July 1972) is a Welsh actor and special creature performer in the UK. He is from Meliden in Denbighshire, North Wales. He has also had some success as a professional kickboxer and professional cruiser weight boxer. ...

as Humbaba *

Bashar Rahal Bashar Mounzer Rahal ( bg, Башар Мунзер Рахал, ar, بشار رحال; born 20 October 1974) is a Bulgarian actor. Life and career Early life Bashar Rahal was born in Dubai, UAE, the son of Lebanese father Mounzer Rahal and Bu ...

as Battalion Commander #1

Reception

Critical response

''The Legend of Hercules'' received critically negative reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has an approval rating of 5% based on 83 reviews, with an average rating of 2.70/10, based on 82 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Cheap-looking, poorly acted, and dull, ''The Legend of Hercules'' is neither fun enough to qualify as an action movie nor absorbing enough to work on a dramatic level". On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a score of 22 out of 100, based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.

Box office

''The Legend of Hercules'' grossed $8,868,318 in its opening weekend, ranking #3 in the domestic box office behind ''

Lone Survivor ''Lone Survivor'' is a 2013 American biographical war film based on the 2007 nonfiction book of the same name by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson. Set during the war in Afghanistan, it dramatizes the unsuccessful United States Navy SEAL ...

'' and '' Frozen''. As of March 9, 2014, the film has grossed $18.8 million domestically and an additional $42.4 million internationally for a worldwide total of $61.3 million, failing to make back the budget of $70 million.

Accolades

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Legend Of Hercules, The 2014 films 2014 3D films 2010s action adventure films 2010s fantasy adventure films American action adventure films American fantasy adventure films 2010s English-language films Films directed by Renny Harlin Films about Heracles Films set in the 12th century BC Films set in Greece Films about gladiatorial combat Films shot in Bulgaria Lionsgate films Summit Entertainment films Entertainment One films Films scored by Tuomas Kantelinen Films with screenplays by Sean Hood Films produced by Boaz Davidson 2010s American films