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Hercules (Disney)

Hercules (Disney)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The more I watch it, the more I like it!
Review: I have to admit that when I first saw Disney's "Hercules" I was definitely NOT IMPRESSED. If I had written this review the evening after that first viewing I would probably have rated this movie at about 2 or maybe 3 stars -- like many of the other reviews listed for this movie on Amazon.com. In the intervening three years, however, I've come to thoroughly enjoy this animated feature. Why? Well, I'll tell you...

1) The story line is good enough...not outstanding, but good enough.

2) There's a really good bad guy (Hades) that you love to hate. He's so evil, self-centered, and conniving that you actually feel good detesting him. He's a classic Disney villain...cut from the same kind of evil character mold as 101 Dalmations' Cruella (animated and real-life).

3) The supporting characters "Panic" and "Pain," which I thought were only mildly annoying when I first watched the show, have really grown on me. They provide great comic relief. These first three points are enough to make this a 4-star movie, but the following point moves this video to 5 stars for me...

4) The clincher for me is that the music is awesome. Again, it takes some listening to in order to catch the vision of it. It's got a strong traditional gospel strain mixed with broadway chorus line pieces like songs from shows such as "Little Shop of Horrors," etc. I especially like the song that Megura sings, "I won't say I'm in love."

Sure there's a strong sentimentality factor to the show, but that's not at all unusual for animated Disney features. When all is said and done I think that's a plus!

If you look at my other reviews (e.g., Tarzan, Fox and the Hound) you'll see that I do not believe that all Disney animated features are 5-star affairs. Once you give this one a fair chance though, you may come to enjoy it as much as I do.

Give this movie a second and third chance -- maybe after the children are in bed, and see if it grows on you too.

I think it's worth 5 stars, and well worth the price!

Alan Holyoak

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Disappointment from Disney
Review: After having seen such brilliant Disney adaptations as Mulan and Hunchback, both of which managed to take LARGE liberties with their originals and still delivered beautiful revisions, I was sadly let down by Hercules. This film was tolerable until we were invited to laugh at a satyr who is watching nymphs in various states of undress. Of course, we never see the naked ladies, but no doubt is left as to what the character is seeing. So now Disney is inviting us to see voyeurism as funny and to laugh at peeping toms?

Several scenes later, our heroine, Meg, is held captive by a centaur, a creature known for its lust and rapist behaviors in Greek mythology. Disney counts on the kids not to catch the reference--that Meg is about to be raped by the centaur--and has her gamely remark that she can take care of herself. So for those of us who do follow the reference, attempted rape is to be dismissed as being okay, as long as the woman feels she can take care of herself?

What hurts about all this is that Greek mythology is filled with terrific tales that could easily have been adapted to suit Disney's needs. Even Hercules could have been used without all the vicious sexual overtones and hints employed in this film. What a shame that the creators of this revision did not do enough research to understand their story or to revise it in a way that could have been both meaningful to an audience and not encourage violence against women.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hercules is Amazing..!
Review: An animated movie for all the family! Love Songs! In Spanish Version.... Ricky Martin sang "No importa la Distancia" is all Great!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I know it's not accurate mythology, and I don't care!
Review: It's a Disney kid's movie. Get over yourselves!

Now that I've got that out of my system...

This is one fun movie. Hades and his henchmen are a scream! James Woods is just perfect as Hades, Rip Torn is great as Zeus, and Danny DeVito does a pretty good Phil. The score is great - my daughter and I have been singing "Zero to Hero" for about a week straight. There's enough songs and kid-stuff to keep little ones glued, and enough in-jokes and pop-culture references to keep the adults entertained as well.

If you're afraid that your kids will be scarred for life after seeing this movie, I'll be willing to bet that, once they've seen and enjoyed Disney's version, they'll sit still to hear the "real" story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One Of Disney's Best Films!
Review: This movie is like a combination of the real Hercules, a bit of Superman and even a little of Jesus's story. I believe that this movie is one of the best animated movies ever made. Great, it's there with The Lion King and Aladdin, I don't understand how so many people hated this movie, it's one of Disney's lowest grossing animated movies in recent years, but actually it's one of the best movies that they have released in recent years, yeah many of the things that happen in the movie are not with the legend but come on it's a Disney movie!! It's for kids, and for those who are never grew.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mandatory viewing for your son (or daughter)
Review: Disney's grown up - to the point where each new animated release is sure to draw controversy and criticism from somebody; I personally was furious at the revisionism of Hunchback. I forgave them when this movie came out. Disney's Hercules is an experiment just like Fantasia, but many folks (it appears), disliked the tampering with Greek myth as well as the unfamiliar style and animation. But I've got lots of reasons to make it my new favorite Disney. First, Disney (in an incredibly bold move) hired Gerald Scarfe to design. His surreal yet powerful visions were always a highlight of Pink Floyd concerts; now they break ground in the same way that Little Mermaid did. While many of the characters appear weird and sketchy, their power seeps through every frame. And, as always, nobody does villains like Disney; Hades, Cerberus, the Titans, the whole Underworld - profoundly frightening in a whole new way. And Disney's forays into computer-generated animation again stop the show when Hercules battles the Hydra; even purists must agree to its power and brilliance.

Then there's the voice talent: James Woods predictably steals the show as Hades, whose wisecracks do little to hide his genuine evil. A close second is Danny DeVito as Phil, a satyr who's saddled with training the young and awkward Hercules to become a true hero; DeVito's given lots of jokes to tell, and only diehard stodges will fail to bust a gut at some of his remarks.

Which leads us to the music: I went out and bought the soundtrack because it was so good. Led by the Muses (who are transformed into the ultimate r&b/gospel choir), the songs have a delightful mix of 50's do-wop (Susan Egan's absolutely beautiful "I Won't Say I'm in Love"), comedy (DeVito's "One Last Hope"), and classic Disney uplift (Roger Bart as Hercules singing "Go the Distance"). Disney staple Alan Menken teams with lyricist David Zippel to deliver yet another brilliant soundtrack.

But what has made the movie my personal favorite is the message it has delivered to my three-year-old son; Disney's given lots to the girls lately (most of Disney's recent heroes have been heroines), but Hercules delivers the message that boys can grow up to be heroes as well. It's taught my son honor, generosity, and humor (well, I'd like to think I helped a bit). Hercules' journey from earthbound misfit to man/godhood is truly inspiring. My son thinks so, and so do I.

By the way, the special features enhance the DVD a great deal. It's always a pleasure to have the curtain pulled back to reveal the magic behind the magic.

Purists can just go to - well, the Underworld; Disney's Hercules was meant to be innovative, but it did much more than break ground - it taught my son a wonderful lesson.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A decent movie.
Review: I really enjoyed watching this movie, though I never saw it in the theatres. The music is Ok, not as good as most Disney films, but not that bad. The animation is good, and the story is OK. I have noticed that several critics here and other places have panned this movie because it strays from greek mythology. While that is true, it is exactly the way Disney has treated every story they have laid there hands on since the 70's, so it should come as no surpise. If you expected to see an accurate portayal of greek mythology in a Children's movie given to us by Disney, I have to ask what you were thinking.

It's no Beauty and the Beast, but it sure is better than _Pocahontas_

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Okay for middle road stuff
Review: I'm going to re-evaluate my thought that Hercules is the worst Disney movie. I no longer think it is so. It's okay for family entertainment, but I would like to say that there are more worthwhile movies. I really don't care about the liberties Disney took with the mythology. I watch movies for the story and not for accuracy. The fact that it is mythology and not history means that Disney has greater freedom to create a great story. What we get, instead, is unintelligent drivel that looks like your standard Saturday morning cartoon. In fact, some of the cartoons I watched as a kid were better because the characters were well developed. The characters in Hercules are your stock cartoon characters. They're really flat, and some aren't even interesting. Pain and Panic are the dullest, most irritating comic reliefs ever created. Hades is a colorful character, but color doesn't make up for being a weak villain. The movie only seems interested in filling up the time with comedy and songs and then more comedy. Only at the very end does it get remotely interesting. Even then, it's still dull. On the plus side, some of the songs are good. Overall, though, the movie tries to be more of the light fare like Aladdin but doesn't have Aladdin's energy and color. If, however, you have a family that's not so critical of good family entertainment, Hercules should be fine viewing. Just be aware that it's more or less on the same level of Rock-a-Doodle, another movie of average fare.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: THE TRUTH !
Review: Hey you, guys who swallow anything Disney push into your throats: I have one thing to say: this is their worst aniamted film ever! It destroyed Greek Mythology, it made Hercules look like a dumb person, it has the worst technical effort ever, all characters are horrible. If you don't wanna see that, fine with me. But just compare it with "MULAN", "LION KING" and all others...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: THE WORST FROM DISNEY !
Review: Everything is horrible here ! The plot, the total destruction of Greek mithology, the boring three women-statues that keeps bothering during all the film, the lousy soundtrack. ..well, skip this one, it is not in accord to Disney traditions!


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