Amazon.co.uk Review
Not the egregious foul it seemed to be in cinemas, Disney's Hercules (1997) stands up as an entertaining spritzer of an animated feature. The continual peppering of in-jokes and cultural references becomes less irksome on the small screen. That there is no majesty or awe invested in the beloved Greek legends also seems less of an error. Also on the plus side is the bounciest Alan Menken music since Little Shop of Horrors. With Zeus's blood in his veins, young Hercules's amazing strength makes him an outcast (sorry, that still doesn't fly), so he trains with a satyr named Phil to become a hero. Along the way Herc meets Meg, a common mortal who falls hard for him. They are both against the jocular Hades, who has to destroy Hercules to take over Olympus. The hydra is the computer-animated set piece for this little number, a no-chance attempt to beat that wildebeest herd from The Lion King. --Keith Simanton
Customer Reviews:
THIS IS A NUMBER ONE DISNEY CLASSIC ........2007-10-20
THIS MOVIE HAS EVERYTHING HAPPINESS SADDNESS AND GREAT SONGS. MEGARA IS MY FAVOURITE DISNEY CHARACHER. THIS IS BETTER THAN MULAN 2 LITTLE MERMAID 2 AND POCAHONTAS 2 AND MORE. I WOULD NOT RECOMEND THIS FLIM FOR ANYONE UNDER 7 BECAUSE IT IS NOT A PRINCESS MOVIE AND IT IS SET IN THE GREEK TIMES.AND IT MIGHT BORE YOUNGER CHILDREN. THIS MOVIE IS THE BEST DISNEY MOVIE OF THE 90'S. AND IF YOU LIKE DIFFERENT DISNEY MOVIES SUCH AS MULAN TARZAN ATLANTIS ALADDIN AND POCAHONTAS.YOU WILL LIKE THIS MOVIE.
Witty and likeable.......2007-07-01
There's a lot to complain about with "Hercules". It mishandles Greek legends to a scandalous degree. The hero is something of a lug. Even the songs aren't much to write home about, with the exception of "Won't Say I'm In Love".
And yet, the film manages to be likeable - good, even. It's very much typical of the "wacky" comedies Disney began making in the '90s and onwards - "Aladdin", "The Emperor's New Groove", and "Lilo and Stitch" are other examples of this - and, like the others, is genuinely funny. The story is interesting, the hero has a goal (and a moral dilemma), and the secondary characters (Phil, Pegadus, Panic, and Pain) are in fact a step up from run-of-the-mill sidekicks. The artwork is very interesting as well - like "Sleeping Beauty", it is subject-appropriate. Every frame (and character) looks as though it could have stepped off the side of a Greek vase, so great job there. There are also a lot of visual gags and several real historical places, which are both entertaining and interesting to anyone who's ever studied ancient Greek temples!
Meg, Hercules' love-interest, is probably the most fascinating character in the film - and probably one of the most interesting Disney heroines created. She's cynical and sassy - a real break from the Cinderellas and Ariels who have stretched across the years. Hercules is far from being her first love (which far from making her imperfect actually serves as a plot point early on to prove her loyalty to the audience), and she's even on the "wrong" side to begin with. This is great stuff, and I'm really impressed that Disney wasn't afraid to create a flawed heroine, and managed to do it successfully as well.
"Hercules" is a good film, although probably not Disney's best. Like "Aladdin" and "Pocahontas", it's very much of the '90s, which makes it entertaining as a cultural artefact if nothing else. Don't watch it if you want the true facts about the Greek legends, obviously, but anyone with a sense of humour should find it easy to like!
Very entertaining.......2006-08-01
I didn't expect much accuracy from Disney, and in this I wasn't disappointed: they do indeed play fast and loose with the Greek myths (this has its good side - sent me back to my books to do some checking). However, this film has a great deal of charm. It's your basic coming-of-age, finding your place through love sort of story, told with the usual Disney verve and humour. The characters seem to have a definite New York accent and character (forgive me if I'm wrong - I'm British) which gives them a sort of savvy carapace which - inevitably - cracks to show the real emotion underneath, and also makes for some smart dialogue. Character highlights are James Woods' Hades, sinister and sarcastic, and an instantly-recognisable Danny de Vito as Phil the Trainer of Heroes. What gives this film its real character and appeal, however, are the songs. Most of these are performed by the Muses, here transformed into gospel singers, and they have some WONDERFUL numbers, and the heroine's own "I'm not in love" song deserves special mention. Without the songs the film would be less than mediocre; with them, it borders on good. And believe me, for in the company of my five-year-old daughter I have watched it at least twenty times - I always take my nose out of my book for the Muses.
A great adaptation of the Greek Myth.......2006-06-03
This as most of you will know is the story of a half man, half god Hercules but with a unique twist that only Disney can provide for the whole family to enjoy.
For the Disney movie Hercules is the born son of Zeus who is kidnapped by the henchmen of Hades lord of the underworld to remove Hercules god powers, making him mortal and then killing Hercules but the henchmen don't do the job properly and instead of killing Herc they just remove his god like immortality but Herc still keeps his god like strength and as a young baby he fights off the henchmen.
Because Hercules loses his immortality he is no longer a full god and cannot return to the heavens with his real parents so Hercules is adopted by a family on Earth.
The adventure begins from there and i don't wanna spoil anything for you so i'll just say that this is an incredible Disney favourite of mine and that is down to the superb animation, fun script and great music inbetween.
Get this movie it is truly great.
A MUST WATCH MOVIE.......2006-05-08
This movie is one of the most imaginative, hillerious, musical adventure movies I could have come accross. The characters to the monsters and the storyline, a combination of love, loss, gain, encouragment and believing in yourself.
The adventure starts with Hercules the son of Zeus finding a strange feeling of not belonging in his small town.. But eventually finds that he has to prove himself a hero in teh eyes of his father. He comes accross frieend such as Pegasus his flying companion horse and Phil (who is voiced with Danny De Vitto) his personal trainner, but Hercules is tricked by Hades, the hotheaded, hillerious villan who plans and plot to take over Mount Olympus.
Hercules then has to choose between his mighty strength to return to his real parents the Gods and his true love a Grecian beauty Meg, to then learn that it isn't the amount of strenght that he has to prove or show, but it is the strenght of his heart.
Will Hercules save Mount Olympus and be proven a true Hero to return?
Great movie a must see for all.
Customer Reviews:
Oldies but Goodies.......2003-04-25
A wonderfully cheesy Hindi film from the late 1970s when flares were in vogue and disco ruled the roost. Even now some 20 years on, this film still holds its own and is as charming now as it was then but with the added bonus of subtitles to help those people along whose Hindi is somewhat scratchy…
This is a typical Hindi film with a zillion songs, lots of fancy dance routines along with the usual flimsy plot following the fate of three young brothers who find themselves being raised as a Hindu, Muslim and Christian respectively when they are separated from each other after their father goes on the run from the police and their mother disappears.
“Amar, Akbar, Anthony” is a film with no genre whatsoever; it is a drama, comedy, adventure, musical and love story all rolled into one, with the actors and actresses singing and dancing their way through a series of impossible events that culminate in everyone getting their girl, and the mother and father being reunited after 20 years apart. Who says you can’t have happy ending in 20th century films????
This is escapism in its literal sense but it is great fun to watch and you will soon find yourself booing the baddies and cheering on the goodies. Oh yes this film has goodies and baddies, kidnapped girls (who happen to be very beautiful) and heroic rescues from burning buildings, the odd miracle or two, along with a forced marriage, one funeral, an act of vengeance and a delightful scene of riding off into the sunset that will have you laughing and cheering from beginning to end.
With an excellent cast of characters playing the lead roles, all you can do is sit back, pop open a bag of pakoras and much your way through Hindi movie heaven…
A geat Film.......2003-04-12
A very typical, but highly enjoyable product of 1970's Bollywood! Music, colour, people being thrown through walls and off course loads of dance numbers. The three male leads play brothers separated at an early age who meet up later on in life to give blood to a woman (soon to be discovered...their mum!) Each has developed different backgrounds - a Muslim, a Hindu and a Christian. Eventually, as expected, they join together to fight tyranny! Oh yes and find a love interest. A great sit down film.
A blast from the past.......2003-03-25
A wonderfully cheesy Hindi film from the late 1970s when flares were in vogue and disco ruled the roost. Even now some 20 years on, this film still holds its own and is as charming now as it was then but with the added bonus of subtitles to help those people along whose Hindi is somewhat scratchy...
This is a typical Hindi film with a zillion songs, lots of fancy dance routines along with the usual flimsy plot following the fate of three young brothers who find themselves being raised as a Hindu, Muslim and Christian respectively when they are separated from each other after their father goes on the run from the police and their mother disappears.
"Amar, Akbar, Anthony" is a film with no genre whatsoever; it is a drama, comedy, adventure, musical and love story all rolled into one, with the actors and actresses singing and dancing their way through a series of impossible events that culminate in everyone getting their girl, and the mother and father being reunited after 20 years apart. Who says you can't have happy ending in 20th century films????
This is escapism in its literal sense but it is great fun to watch and you will soon find yourself booing the baddies and cheering on the goodies. Oh yes this film has goodies and baddies, kidnapped girls (who happen to be very beautiful) and heroic rescues from burning buildings, the odd miracle or two, along with a forced marriage, one funeral, an act of vengeance and a delightful scene of riding off into the sunset that will have you laughing and cheering from beginning to end.
With an excellent cast of characters playing the lead roles, all you can do is sit back, pop open a bag of pakoras and much your way through Hindi movie heaven...
Customer Reviews:
Not perfect, but very enjoyable........2007-04-10
As someone interested in the classical world I've watched quite a few of these mini-series based on Greek and Roman history or mythology and after every viewing I'm reminded of the old Punch magazine cartoon about the curate's egg (a visiting curate assures the bishop that parts of his suspect breakfast egg are very good.)Usually production values in these miniseries are good, the historical or mythological sources are generally respected and after 3 hours of viewing you switch off having enjoyed yourself but without any sense of having watched a classic. My major dissatisfactions often have to do with the casting which always follows a set formula of having a couple of well-known stalwarts (in Hercules we get Timothy Dalton) who often provide the best acting, or a well-known face from a hit TV series, backed up by a mass of little-known or unknown actors of varying abilities who often seem poorly cast and who often struggle with the clunking dialogue. Hercules is no exception to this rule and we get English, American, Scottish, Irish and Aussie accents jostling with each other and not a single face that looks vaguely mediterranean or classical. Nor does the wonderful New Zealand scenery really evoke the Greek world. And then there's the costumes. The Greeks didn't exactly overdress but in Hercules everyone wears what appears to be heavy late Roman and mediaeval clobber. But like the proverbial curate's egg parts of this miniseries are good. You're unlikely to have any complaints about Hercules himself who's played by Paul Telfer, an athletic Scottish hunk who knows how to act (I realised I'd seen him recently in the BBC's Hotel Babylon in which he played the handsome, scheming bellboy, Luke, and I remember thinking then that he somewhat resembles a very young Sean Connery and would have made a better James Bond than the present incumbent.) You also get some pretty good special effects and plenty of action of the sword-and-sandal variety. Yes, I confess I enjoyed it all and I think you will too, but as usual I switched off feeling that the film-makers had missed a few opportunities. To my mind only one production captures on celluloid the true flavour of the greek myths and that's Ray Harryhausen's 1960s Jason and the Argonauts which you've probably seen a dozen times (but if not then snap it up) and which correctly portrays Hercules as a bearded older man and Hylas as his "special mate".
Still entertaining.......2006-05-06
I usually prefer to watch films that are true to the original story and this was definately not. But there was nothing else on tele so I watched it anyway and it was very good and I enjoyed it a lot, so much I watched the next installment the next day with my popcorn and bottle of cider. And now I am just about to buy it on DVD to join my others in the archive of Greek mythology films.
Crass inaccurate Hollywood adaption of Greek myths.......2006-01-15
Utter tripe! Why make a version of the Hercules story if you're going to change everything, this is just as poor a version as that awful "Earthsea" was of Ursula Leguin's novels. I may be pedantic for objecting to them calling him the Roman Hercules instead of Greek Heracles while using Greek names otherwise but this was the least of the problems. The gods were barely in it, but the landscape was crawling with nymphs, centaurs etc., and much was made of the rivalry between worshippers of different gods for some reason. Deianeira was a nymph in this although I'm sure she wasn't supposed to be, Alcmene and Megara were made out to be evil, conniving enemies of Heracles and I don't think Heracles murdured Megara in this version although he did in the myths. And what was the purpose of resurrecting that Linus person? Perhaps Hollywood has rules about heroes needing sidekicks. I didn't bother watching the second half, so it may have improved during the twelve tasks. I feel Robert Graves wouldn't have approved, and if you like your mythical adventures reasonably accurate, give this the body swerve.
Customer Reviews:
The best season yet.......2004-07-21
Absolutly amazing. I bought this being a huge fan of the show already and couldn't wait to watch the series again. This one has everything comedy (Salmoneus and Atolycus in drag) to tragedy (the death of Hercules' mother) to Hercules becoming a full god and showing all the gods what hes really like. A must have for all fan and for anyone who just wants compelling viewing
Customer Reviews:
Excellent season, nice extras!.......2005-08-07
A lot of Hercules fans still consider Season 3 as one of the best. There are still lots of stand alone episodes at this point in the show, with plenty of twists on Greek/Roman mythology. The actors have really got into their roles by this point too and for the most part it all makes excellent entertainment.
The best episodes surround the Golden Hind arc of 3 episodes, dealing with a lot more serious issues than normal on the show.
As a DVD set, there are plenty of extras. A couple of excellent commentaries by Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst provide wonderful insights into the making of the show and into the whole process of making a TV show in general. There are some nice interview clips too.
If you like this type of show or are already a Hercules fan AND can play Region 1 DVDs, I highly recommend this set. The one or two episodes that were weak, along with the fact the design of the DVD set is a little odd...with episode 22 on a disc all by itself, loses a star though.
Customer Reviews:
Nicely presented dvd release of an old epic........2007-09-17
First of all Reg Park was a very impressive Hercules.His physique was every inch "Herculean",his acting was reasonable,and he genuinely looked like he was having a good time.The production value of this movie is lavish,the action good and consistant.On top of all of this,the widescreen resolution for a print forty-six years old is delightful.
Recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Poirot series 1.......2007-08-21
He stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall, has green eyes, and an egg-shaped head (which he perches to one side). He has the blackest of hair (he is known to use dye), and his black waxed moustache is perfection. His friend Hastings wrote that Poirot had a limp when he walked. He always wears patent leather shoes and is always neatly dressed with the finest of clothing.The famous sleuth loves the finer things of life and luxury, including exotic drinks (he loves sirop de cassis), exotic locales, excellent served food, the theatre and other arts, and very comfortable hotel rooms. He loves the indoors and avoids extreme weather whenever possible. Poirot loathes dirt and disarray, and favors order, method, and symmetry (Whitehaven Mansions is symmetrical, and even the books on his bookshelf are arranged by height!).He finds English habits and humor incomprehensible. However, Poirot has an excellent command of the English language and at times uses his "foreignness" as an advantage. He has a big ego, and always takes for granted that everyone recognizes his name. He doesn't take just any case that comes his way, however, and he freely admits that he's fond of money. He even has a chauffeur, a young man who earns a "handsome salary", who drives Poirot's Messarro Gratz, a large and expensive luxury car. Poirot is kind and courteous to those who are not criminals, and is especially sympathetic to young ladies (when talking to them, he refers to himself as "Papa Poirot"). Poirot is known to also be impatient, opinionated, and direct with others.The Belgian detective states the greatest tool for crime solving is the mind, thanks to the "little grey cells". He prefers to sit quietly and think when he solves crimes, for he believes all crimes are psychological and having clues is not everything. Although his belief is that crime is not solved on evidence alone, he's not above snooping into others' personal things (much to the chagrin of his friend Hastings): he has been known to listen at doors, hide behind curtains, and even dig in womens' underwear drawers.
episode list:
1.1 The adventures of the Clapham Cook
1.2 Murder in the Mews
1.3 The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly
1.4 Four and Twenty Blackbirds
1.5 The Third Floor Flat
1.6 Triangle at Rhodes
1.7 Problem at Sea
1.8 The Incredible Theft
1.9 The King of Clubs
1.10 The Dream
DVD Review:
- Hercules [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future [1973] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Jules Verne's Mysterious Island [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Jupiter Moon 3 - Return To Space City
- Legend of the Mountain [1979] (NTSC)
- Le Magnifique [1973] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Lexx - The Movies - Series 1 Vol.1 [1999]
- Lexx - The Movies - Series 1 Vol.2 [1999]
- Liar Liar [1997] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Matilda [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
DVD Review List
DVD Review
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