Rating: 
Summary: Possibly the only Disney animated feature I truly HATE
Review: I have been a huge fan of Disney animation for years. While I may not like many of the features, I can see why they are popular. This movie, however, stinks. Even though it has this Jazz groove going on (and I am a HUGE jazz music fan), I found it trite and dull musically, and in fact quite annoying at many times. This also has a "new wave" animation style that really is distracting as well. I think Pokemon has better animation style than this movie (I can't believe I can actually say that!).And the story! Well, if you hoped it stuck to the original, forget it. It's a total rewrite of the legend. I'll give credit where credit is due. It's still better than Barney.
Rating: 
Summary: "Read me a book da-da, once upon a time"
Review: One thing that could have made this movie better, if Michael Borton singing "I can go the distance" during the end credits, was cut. Michael (in my opinion) was really bad singing that song, he sounds like a bird dying. But does Disney expect people to believe that an inmortal baby can be put on eartj, and made mortal? As the movie opens, baby Hercules is born to Zeus and his wife, and has a party, which inclues the movie's villain, Hades "lord of the underworld". Hades has Hercules stolen from Zeus and his wife, taken to earth to change to mortal and then killed. But the baby misses the last drop, and is discovered by a human couple. When Hercules is a teenager, he sets out ot find where he blongs, and a statue of his father comes to live to talk to him, and teels him to get back to being a god, he has to be trained a true hero, and his trainer is Philoctetes "Phil" (Danny DeVito). Joshua Keaton voices the young Hercules and Tate Donovan voices Hercules as an adult, Susan Egan voices Hercule's girlfriend Meg, and James Woods voices Hades.
Rating: 
Summary: Yeah, Disney slashed this movie to shreds
Review: If you are looking for a retelling of the myth of Hercules, then you will hate this movie. Disney completely ruined it. But what disney did do was create gorgeous animation, a pretty decent soundtrack and an adorable story with a strong female character. The artwork throughout the story keeps in line with the greek style of artwork from the shape of the trees to the style of dress and hair on their pottery. So watch this movie for it's entertainment value, and not for a faithful retelling of a complicated greek myth. Take it with a grain of salt and you will be okay.
Rating:
Summary: Hercules
Review: I'm a homeschooler and am making my way from the ancient times to modern day times in my history course this year. As we were studying Greece I learned about many of the Greek myths and heroes including Heracles. To make it more interesting my history curriculum suggested watching the movie, Hercules.
I absolutely loved the movie and had fun finding all the parts of the movie, which related to the original myth. The story takes the original plot and makes a wonderful comedy out of it using original characters including Hades, Zeus, and his wife Hera, as well as several other additional characters.
The story starts out when Zeus and his wife Hera have a son named Hercules. When Hades, Lord of the Underworld, learns that if Hercules remains alive, his plans of overtaking Olympus will surly fail, he becomes furious. In his rage he sends his two imps, Pain, and Panic, to kidnap the baby and turn him mortal by having him drink a special formula and then kill him (it was impossible to kill an immortal). In the process of feeding the baby the formula, the imps are startled by the sound of someone approaching and drop the bottle before the baby finishes the last drop, spoiling their plans. In fear of Hades anger the Imps say they have completed the task, leaving Hades thinking Hercules is dead.
As Hercules grows up in the care of a farmer and his wife, who found him shortly after Hades attempt to kill him, he often finds himself unable to fit in with the crowd because of his strength. So, he sets off to the temple of Zeus praying to Zeus to show him where he belongs. Zeus quickly tells Hercules the whole story, and Hercules is overwhelmed with excitement. After hearing that he could one day return to Olympus if he were to become a true hero, Hercules sets out with his flying horse Pegasus, an old gift from his father, to find a famous trainer called Phil and convince him to teach him how to become a hero.
Under Phil's training, Hercules develops his strength and skill and sets off to prove himself a hero. During his first fight, he meets a beautiful maiden, named Meg and falls head over heels in love with her. Through trial and error Hercules becomes a great hero of Greece and learns what it means to be a true hero. I really enjoyed this wonderful comedy and found myself watching it over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT one of Disney's Best
Review: The kids like it, so I guess that's all that matters. But overall, It's not what I would consider a Disney Classic. In fact, It's not very memorable. Get "Monsters,Inc" or "Tarzan" instead. Chances are your kids won't watch it a second or third time.
Rating:
Summary: Bless my soul.. disney's on a roll.....
Review: it is a great disney cartoon. the music in it was so good i even recommendbuying the cd. keeps your feet tappin. It is a great movie full of jokes for the "family" stuff to keep kids, and their parents laughing. Like many disney movies you canlove them as a kid, and grow and still love them because they are just fun! This would be a wonderful Saturday evening movie for the family! A+
Rating:
Summary: Usually fantastic Disney at its worst -- and most dangerous
Review: I am a big Disney fan. I in no way demand that Disney adhere slavishly to the original source material it usually relies upon in making its fabulous animated features. I absolutely respect Disney's right to remove dark elements, to simplify, and to mark its work with its own style. But Disney's Hercules does a hack-job on Greek mythology which passes the most generous bounds of adaptor's license. I am tempted to say that "Disney's Hercules leaves Greek mythology looking like a chimera after a bad night in a procrustean bed" or some kind of nonsense like that, but I will refrain. Hercules represents far worse than poor screenwriting -- it constitutes a serious disservice to children and parents alike, systematically mis-educating American youth as to the fundaments of Western culture. ...In a first draft of this review, I listed some of the more egregious examples, but on reflection I don't want to reify the false memes the film has surely injected into the American mainstream knowledge base by enumerating them here. Bottom line: if you don't fall into the "pig-ignorant and proud of it" category, I urge you to take my advice and boycott this poor showing, thus sending a message to Disney that Americans aren't as dumb as market statistics imply, and simultaneously doing your children the favor of not filling their heads with information tending to increase rather than decrease their ignorance of classical culture. [These points made, I liked James Woods' powerful stage presence and I liked the gimmick of making the muses (although why there should only have been three muses I cannot guess) African-American. I liked essentially nothing else about the film. Disney should be ashamed of this one.]
Rating: 
Summary: Minor effort with surprisingly little emotional appeal
Review: This minor Disney effort shamelessly bowdlerizes Greek mythology, but retains just enough pagan darkness to give the little ones serious nightmares. _Hercules_ contains several spectacular animated set pieces, excellent comedy writing, and two remarkably engaging supporting characters. The down-on-her-luck Megara may be the best Disney romantic heroine ever, and Hades (memorably voiced by James Woods) is a classic comic villain. But Hercules himself is just not interesting, and his "family problems" seem more appropriate for an after-school special than a full-blown animated spectacular. Character design tends to eschew the standard Disney roundness for flat, pointed, angular shapes. I enjoyed the stylized approach, although it may alienate viewers looking for a more traditional style. On the whole, not bad -- but not a masterpiece either. By the way, if I were Megara, I'd consider staying as far away from Hercules as possible. In the original Greek myths, Hercules marries Megara -- but when the goddess Hera drives Hercules to madness, he promptly kills his wife and children. I guess some people just can't win for losing ....
Rating:
Summary: As Meg Might Say...A Real SLICE!!
Review: Since this has become a recent favorite for my daughter, I have watched it many times recently, and I LOVE it! ............. The great characters, the colorful animation, and the refreshingly witty and hip script make this a standout in Disney's many releases. I really enjoy watching this one, and I don't get tired of it. I particularly like the "Hades" god of the dead character, voiced superbly by one of my screen favorites, the incomparable James Woods. He makes Hades such a funny and cool villain. I always enjoy the villains more than most other characters anyway, but Hades is one of the best Disney has ever created. He actually looks like a female version of "Ursula" from "The Little Mermaid" too. ................Also amusingly different in this film, is the use of yiddish expressions like Hades referring to Hercules as "the one SCHLEMIEL who can louse everything up." Philates the goatman, aka "Phil" is my other favorite, a grumpy but tender hearted satyr who trains "hero's." He ALSO has a funny line where he goes on about Achilles, and how he COULD have been a hero..."but that FUSHLUGGENEH heel of his!!" ................ The muses are amusing as a gospel chorus who sing about what's happening, and give narratives as well. The "fates" as three hideous corpses resembling "Mrs. Bates" of "Psycho" fame, who work for Hades cutting the life thread of the "incoming" (over 500000000001 served) flashes a McDonald's-like sign as someones soul is plucked, are grusomely funny too. No, I've not forgotten Meg, the pretty and sassy mortal gal who mutually falls for "Herc" while indebted to Hades. She must decide whether true love will conquer all. .................The fun script, and use of "hip" lingo delivered cheekily by terrific characters, give "Hercules" a fresh spin on the greek myth, AND make this entry the COOLEST in Disney's vast filmography.
Rating:
Summary: Greek myth told with musical and comedic flair
Review: This is an enjoyable film with a great Alan Menken score. The featurette is good, but the Ricky Martin video looks like it was transferred from a VHS tape. I especially like the Muses' in the film (or is it Muse's?). I give this disc a reasonable four star rating, and it is a perfect addition to any Disney collection.
|
