Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences, violence, suggestive comments, brief strong language and partial nudity.
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Tobias Santelmann, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan and John Hurt
Directed by Brett Ratner (The Tower Heist and X-men: The Last Stand)
The anti-god, believe-in-yourself message really soured this epic retelling of the Greek hero.
Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend… haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules’ help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail… he must again become the hero he once was… he must embrace his own myth… he must be Hercules.
Let me start this review with some of the more technical aspects jumping to the subtle and the not so subtle anti-God message.
First of all Dwayne Johnson continues to impress me as an actor. He brings the perfect balance between serious leading man, big-time action star and hilarious comedian. And he also seems to be the perfect choice to play the Greek hero Hercules.
I have to say the rest of the cast was just as good. I like just about everything Ian McShane does, and Joseph Fiennes is such a good vilain.
The special effects and action sequences are top notch and the 3D effects are flawless.
But the film does have one pretty significant flaw. There is a strong anti-god message throughout the story. From the very beginning the narrator plants a seed of doubt – is Hercules really a half god? And as the storyline unfolds we see that the legend of Hercules is more fiction and exaggeration that supernatural acts of strength. As the film credits role, our suspicions are confirmed that his band of friends have actually helped him defeat the monsters of legend. Even the “prophet” gets the prophecy of his own demise wrong… leads one to believe the gods are wrong or don’t even exist.
The culmination comes at the film’s climax when Hercules is challenged to believe the legend… and to believe in himself. He even topples the statute of Hera, the goddess of marriage, showing he is in fact mightier than the “gods.”
It was hard to miss all the “subtle” hints that Hercules was actually a story about a really strong guy who really believed in himself.
And just to be clear, I do not believe in the Greek gods, but I do believe this film tried to remove “god” from the equation altogether and for that I say, “Skip It.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The film is rated PG-13 mostly for the epic battle sequences and violence. But there are several suggestive comments and we see some nudity. There is also 1 F-word.
CONVERSATION STARTER:
- What does Amphiaraus encourage Hercules to do?
- Why is “believing in yourself” a good idea?
- Why is “believing yourself” a bad idea?
- How can we be less like Hercules, and more like a Christ follower by following this Proverb?
Read Jeremiah 17:9
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
Read Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.