Rating: 
Summary: Tired of seeing The World According To Disney
Review: I think most of the reviewers miss the point. The main question is not whether The Hercules(or Pocahontas, or Mulan, or...you name it) true to historic truth or not. Of course it's not about scholarly accuracy, it's about entertainment.But it's becoming more and more evident that this kind of approach to the world best loved myths and stories means Disney want to play it safe and is not going to experiment. Instead it uses the same formula again and again - songs, comical sidekicks and the main characters that look and act more and more the same and heavy promotional spending. So now it's mostly routine. And The Hercules is a very self indulgent movie which is not only inaccurate in details, IT DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF THE GREEK LEGEND. It just uses the name known to many and some very vague notions of the myth. They want us to see The World According to Disney. Sometimes this world is really entertaining - I have enjoyed The Mulan, even own the DVD - it's a good entertainment. But I've heard that the Chinese were very much displeased by the movie. But The Hercules is so banal and at the same time outlandish, the visuals are garish - the depiction of Olimpus inhabitants in baby-blue and pink colors is utterly tasteless! The sidekicks' pranks are predictable, the scenes of the heroes sacrifice can get an emotional response only at the imbecile level. It seems that Disney wants to chew our food to make the swallowing easier.
Rating: 
Summary: inaccurate and insulting
Review: this film was not at all accurate with the myths. besides that the music was distracting and extremely annoying. i can't see how this would be overly enjoyable for children or adults. it tries much too hard to be funny and misses the whole concept of achieving a concrete storyline. if you follow the myths you will also know Hercules had a male lover. guess we can't get away with that in a Disney cartoon...o well.
Rating:
Summary: Even a DVD presentation of this movie can't save it...
Review: On a widescreen set this over-priced, non-enhanced DVD presentation didn't look too bad. Sorry I can't say the same thing for the content. My 5 year old refused to sit through an entire presentation of this movie on VHS and when I got the DVD I sat down to view it with him and now I understand why. These characters are annoying to say the least, especially the female love interest. The only one I even vaguely liked was Pegasus because he didn't pretend to have any sense. If you want to spend your money on some good Disney animation get "Mulan" or one of the other classics.
Rating: 
Summary: Disney lover and history graduate student
Review: I am in graduate school for my masters in history and I know just about EVERYTHING there is to know about mythology and Greek culture and let me tell you, I LOVED this movie! All the people who hated it because of its inaccuracies should know that not ONE Disney movie has EVER been accurate. Cinderella's step-sisters cut their toes off to fit into the glass slipper. The Little Mermaid is supposed to DIE in the end. There is NO Gaston or dancing pots and pans in Beauty and the Beast. There is no wise-cracking genie in Aladdin. Hercules is NO different. But unlike those movies, the "true" story of Hercules is just plain awful. The story goes like this: Hercules is born after Zeus cheats on his wife. Zeus then has the baby feed on Hera's breast when she is sleeping. Then Hercules in a fit of anger kills his whole family, and spends his whole life killing monsters for his cousin as penance. In the end his second wife gives him a magic coat with which he burns himself to death because he cheated on her. Oh, what a great movie that would make! Honestly, the revamped story is VASTLY superior, and Disney did everything right as far as the geology of Greece, the architecture, the clothing, and many other little anecdotes. That's much more than I can say for any other version of Hercules including that god-awful Kevin Sorbo show. I see the movie more as a humorous look at ALL Greek myths. I think any student of Greek myths would agree. Sure the Gospel music was a bit much, but it fit the story beautifully.
Rating: 
Summary: At times annoying, yet also entertaining
Review: I feel this film could have been better. Overall, I thought it was entertaining but there were several elements I disliked. First off the Greek gods were simply hideous, save perhaps for Zeus and Hades (who's was designed to be hideous and was nevertheless, well-rendered), as was baby and teen Herc. I mean, I'm aware this is a cartoon but for these characters, caricature was overwrought and grotesque to the point of distraction (especially the baby). Secondly, this just wasn't as funny as certain other Disney films. I found the humor rather flat and meant for the 7-13 year old crowd (or thereabouts). The fact that Disney wasn't faithful to the myth doesn't, in itself, bother me; in fact, I can't fault them for it. For a film designed for general audiences, Hercules can't be a love child and there can be no mention of Zeus's wife Hera (Herc's mom in this movie) being Zeus's sister, (which of course she's most likely not in the movie). Despite this, I feel there might've been better ways to skirt around these issues and still make an entertaining movie. Lastly, there was an air of frivolity around this movie that I couldn't get over; a feeling that it was just a bit too goofy and wasn't taken near seriously enough. All in all, I consider it neither as terrible as some seem to, nor as great as others apparently do.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Faithful, But a Lot of Fun
Review: Constant jokes and asides littered throughout have led me to believe that, although they have thrown out the original myth and revamped it as their own, those folks at Disney at least read the stuff before they set out on their own version. Maybe when the kids watch it it will lead them to read the real Myths. That's what happened to me as a child after I watched a barely faithful take on Perseus called Clash of the Titans.
Rating:
Summary: Damn right...lighten up people!
Review: I saw Hercules for the first time in London in the cinemas. I think it's a great little flick. Good design, great Menken songs, great comedy writing. Disney have taken just the same liberties with the greek myths as they did with the Arabian Nights to make Aladdin. The Genie was a bully who had to be tricked back into his lamp in the original legend...but get Robin Williams to do the voice and suddenly he's the perfect good-guy sidekick. Why should Hercules be treated with such self-righteous vitriol just because it borrows from many legends to create a fast-paced, entertaining story? Does it ever occur to the Herc-haters that kids who watch this movie will not necessairily be tainted forever about Greek mythology, but might actually have an interest sparked to adjourn to a library to learn more about the Greek gods and legends? As we saw in Tarzan and Hunchback, Disney are perfectly capable of toning down the slapstick and doing a 'straight' story as well. If we wait long enough, we might actually see a character bleed sometime! The muses were my favourites too...but oddly, to me they seem to work better on their own...I just feel that the 'Halle-LOO-ya!' black gospel attitude just doesn't say 'Ancient Greece' to me <g>
Rating:
Summary: I Love This Movie!
Review: I really love this movie.It has a good story to it.I love all the songs on it.James Woods did a great job as Hades.I watch this movie all the time.It's my favorite Disney Movie Ever!
Rating:
Summary: Lighten up, people.....it's Disney!
Review: I am a little taken aback by those who insist that this must be a bad movie because it is not mythologically accurate. While this cannot be called the best Disney has to offer, it is a warm, fuzzy movie that inspires me to keep trying. I don't particularly care that it may not be what's actually in the history books, and I don't think all the eight-year-olds who loved the movie cared either. If you want mythological accuracy, watch the history channel! Disney is not about accuracy, it's about fun. And "Hercules" is, if nothing else, fun.
Rating:
Summary: Pre-conceptions shattered by irresistable entertainment
Review: My son received this video as a present as I had no intention of watching Disney butcher my beloved Greek myths. However the engaging high-handedness of cramming as much mythology as they could manage into a single film left me first fuming then applauding their audacity. The 'Gospel Truth' song brilliantly juxtaposed Christian mythology with Greek, and they also dragged in the modern religion of celebrity worship that had me in stitches(Zero to Hero). My son was converted into a bona fide hero (saving D.I.D's and slaying monsters) by this film and remains so a year after first receiving it. I would rate it as one of Disneys best and most adult friendly films, and if you like James Woods its a must.
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