Johnson is a rock in otherwise predictable ‘Hercules’

There is no doubt that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has a commanding physical presence. Whether or nor he can act is debatable, but put him into a role in which he can exploit his superb physicality and the result can be an entertaining if not a particularly deep movie.

In “Hercules,” Johnson is the perfect match for title character: muscular, adept at wielding the weapons of the day — and his fists as well — to vanquish foes, as he assumes the glare that was part of his professional wrestling persona.  Just do not expect any dramatic flair from him.

This version of Hercules is based upon the radical comic from Steve Moore, adapted for the screen by Ryan Condal (his first major screenplay) and Evan Spiliotopoulos, who has written several straight-to-video scripts, and directed by Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour”).

Hercules as presented here is the son of the god king Zeus, and upon enduring the 12 perilous labors, and haunted by personal tragedy, has formed a small group of mercenaries who hire out to fight battles. With no allegiances, Hercules and his group can go into battle and efficiently prevail. Hercules is hoping to soon earn enough gold pieces to secure a serene retirement.

Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson), daughter of Lord Cotys (John Hurt), leader of Thrace, seeks help from Hercules to save their country from imminent attack from a conquering horde. Upon arriving at Thrace, Hercules and his band face the task of training a novice army of farmers from the depleted ranks of able-bodied men in the kingdom. The first foray into battle has mixed results, so the training continues but before long, Hercules and his group have molded this band into a formidable army.

Unfortunately, Hercules and company are thrown into a dilemma, wondering if they were duped into building an army designed for aggression rather than defense, forcing them to shed their objectivity and pursue what they believe is right.

Between the chaotic battle scenes are the side stories to help build character. Offering some humorous moments is Ian McShane as Amphiaraus, the oldest of Hercules’ group and a man who is devoted to the gods’ prophesies despite their lack of clarity or accuracy. Iolaus (Reece Ritchie) is a young cousin of Hercules, tasked with telling stories of the exploits of Hercules while pining to go into battle, something Hercules continues to deny.

Autolycus (Rufus Sewell) and the mute, animalistic Tydeus (Aksel Hennie) are diehard loyalists to Hercules, having battled side-by-side with him for years. And Ingrid Bosol Berdal is Atalanta, the lone woman of the group, a proficient archer, looking like she came straight out of a “Xena Warrior Princess” episode, and is one of those with an endless supply of arrows.

This is all fantasy, of course, so the viewer needs to dismiss such issues as to how, despite a mounting body count in the battles, there never seems to be a depletion of people, along with the almost laughable way Atalanta always has an ample arsenal of arrows, never needing a timeout to go grab some more.

The battle scenes are fantastic, with some great aerial shots that vividly display the scope of the action. Joseph Fiennes (as King Eurystheus) and Hurt get moments to go Shakespearean and portray the evil of power gone mad.

“Hercules” will not drill the viewer with any plot twists, and it rolls noisily to a conclusion that will surprise nobody. All in all, it is a summer popcorn movie, with a lot of action and not much in the way of searing drama.

 

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