The Legend of Hercules

The Legend of Hercules is a 2014 American 3D action fantasy film directed by Renny Harlin, written by Daniel Giat and Sean Hood, and starring Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, Roxanne McKee, and Liam Garrigan. It was one of two Hollywood-studio Hercules films released in 2014, alongside Paramount Pictures' and MGM's co-production Hercules, released six months earlier on January 10, 2014. The Legend of Hercules was a box-office bomb and received universally negative reviews, unlike Hercules, which was a financial box-office success and opened to far stronger reviews.

This article is about the 2014 film starring Kellan Lutz. For the 2014 film starring Dwayne Johnson, see Hercules (2014 film).
The Legend of Hercules
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRenny Harlin
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Music byTuomas Kantelinen[1]
CinematographySam McCurdy
Edited byVincent Tabaillon
Production
company
Distributed bySummit Entertainment[2]
Release date
  • January 10, 2014 (2014-01-10) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million[4]
Box office$61.3 million[5]

Plot

In 1200 BC ancient Greece, King Amphitryon of Tiryns invades Argos. Amphitryon eventually fights rival King Galenus in personal combat, killing Galenus and seizing his kingdom. Queen Alcmene is disgusted by her husband's thirst for power and warmongering. She prays to Hera for guidance and Hera, wife of Zeus, tells her that she will allow Zeus to impregnate Alcemene with the savior of her people, a demi-god son to be named Hercules. The only other witness to this is Chiron, the queen's loyal adviser. Amphitryon names his new "son" Alcides, though Alcmene secretly acknowledges his true name as Hercules.

Twenty years later, Prince Alcides (Hercules) is the lover of Princess Hebe of Crete. Hercules and his older brother, Prince Iphicles, are attacked by a Nemean lion, which Iphicles says cannot be killed, and their spears literally bounce off its hide. Hercules, no longer with spear, straddles the lion from behind and wrestles it until he choked the life out of the giant cat. Iphicles takes all the credit and arrives at a royal banquet wearing the lion's pelt as a cloak and calls his brother a coward, however, Hebe sees right through this lie. At the banquet Amphitryon announces the engagement of Hebe and Iphicles, while Hercules is sent away to a military campaign in Egypt.

Alcemene tells him of his true lineage and that his name is Hercules, not Alcides. Alcides vows to return to Hebe in three moons, before her impending nuptials. He joins the command of Captain Sotiris in the Egyptian desert, where their small company is ambushed, leaving Alcides and Sotiris as the last survivors. When the leader of the ambush demands to know where the prince is, Sotiris gestures to the body of a slain soldier, while Hercules finally uses his gods-given name to conceal his identity as the prince. It is revealed that Amphitryon arranged the ambush to eliminate Hercules. The two are sold off as slaves to Lucius, a promoter of gladiator style fights, where they excel. The two ask the promoter to take them to Greece to fight in an arena battle, where the two will fight six undefeated gladiators and potentially make the promoter a wildly rich man. When Sotiris is injured in a battle before leaving for Greece, Hercules convinces the promoter to set Sotiris free and he will fight all six gladiators himself. Sotiris secretly follows him to Greece.

Alcmene and Hebe mourn the death of Alcides/Hercules. When Alcmene seeks guidance from Hera, Amphitryon discovers her and learns the truth of Hercules' parentage and that he is fated to overthrow him. Amphitryon stabs Alcmene with her own dagger, then tells Chiron that the Queen committed suicide in her grief. Meanwhile, Hercules arrives in Greece and easily beats the six gladiators in battle. The people celebrate his victory and deserters of Amphitryon's army join him and Sotiris.

Hebe is in anguish after the death of Alcides and dreads her pending wedding to Iphicles. She tries to leap off the roof of the palace but is saved by Chiron, who brings her to Hercules. Amphitryon's army begins to desert him, forcing him to hire foreign mercenaries when Hercules and Sotiris begin a fight against Amphitryon's campaign of tyranny. Iphicles threatens Sotiris' son's life, forcing Sotiris to lead him to Hercules. Iphicles is surprised to discover that Hercules is Alcides. Hercules is chained and publicly flogged, then watches in horror as Iphicles murders Chiron under Amphitryon's orders. In anguish he acknowledges Zeus as his father and calls upon him for strength. Hercules breaks free from his chains and kills Amphitryon's guard, though Amphitryon and Iphicles escape.

Hercules and Sotiris raise an army and storm Amphitryon's palace. Amphitryon's palace guard join Hercules and his army and they battle Amphitryon's mercenaries. Hercules calls upon his father who infuses his sword with the power of lightning. Hercules defeats the mercenaries with his lightning sword, then meets Amphitryon in personal combat. Hercules nearly defeats Amphitryon but Iphicles holds Hebe hostage and threatens to kill her if Hercules does not let Amphitryon go. Hercules hesitates but Hebe thrusts the dagger through her shoulder, killing Iphicles. Hercules finally avenges Alcmene's death and kills Amphitryon with the same blade that killed his mother. Hercules rushes to Hebe's side as she slowly drifts into unconsciousness. Nearly a year later, the cries of a baby are heard, Hercules' and Hebe's baby boy. That night, he watches over his kingdom, finally fulfilling his destiny.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

The Legend of Hercules was critically panned. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 3% rating, with an average rating of 2.3/10, based on 76 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Cheap-looking, poorly acted, and dull, The Legend of Hercules is neither fun enough to qualify as an action movie nor absorbing enough to work on a dramatic level".[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 22 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[8]

Box office

The Legend of Hercules grossed $8,868,318 in its opening weekend, ranking #3 in the domestic box office behind Lone Survivor and Frozen.[9] As of March 9, 2014, the film has grossed $18.8 million domestically and an additional $42.4 million internationally for a worldwide total of $61.3 million, failing to make back the budget of $70 million.

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Golden Raspberry Awards February 21, 2015 Worst Picture Nominated [10][11]
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel Nominated
Worst Actor Kellan Lutz Nominated
Worst Actress Gaia Weiss Nominated
Worst Director Renny Harlin Nominated
Worst Screen Combo Kellan Lutz Nominated
Teen Choice Awards August 10, 2014 Choice Movie Actor: Action Kellan Lutz Nominated [12]
Young Hollywood Awards July 28, 2014 Super Superhero Kellan Lutz Nominated [13]
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gollark: Shame we can't usefully replicate it on Earth right now.
gollark: How is "some weird battery" anything very interesting? My *watch* has a battery in it rated for 7 years or so.
gollark: Er, referenced, not linked to.
gollark: Well, you linked to the "crystal battery" thing, that's why.

See also

References
  1. "Tuomas Kantelinen Scoring Hercules: The Legend Begins". Film Music Reporter. October 13, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  2. Yamato, Jen (November 12, 2013). "Summit Snaps Up Millennium's 'Hercules: The Legend Begins' Starring 'Twilight's Kellan Lutz". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  3. "THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (12A)". Lions Gate Entertainment. British Board of Film Classification. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  4. "'Lone Survivor' likely to top 'Frozen' at weekend box office". Los Angeles Times. January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  5. "The Legend of Hercules". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  6. "'Twilight' star Kellan Lutz cast as lead in 'Hercules 3D'". NME. April 8, 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  7. "The Legend of Hercules (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  8. "The Legend of Hercules". Metacritic. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  9. "Weekend Box Office Results for January 10–12, 2014". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  10. "RAZZIES® Celebrate 35 Years of Worst Achievements in Film with Inclusive Nominee List ...and New "Redeemer" Award". Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  11. King, Susan (February 21, 2015). "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas Dominates the 35th Razzie Awards", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  12. Nordyke, Kimberly (August 10, 2014). "Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  13. Leanne Bayley. "Young Hollywood Awards 2014: The FULL winners list". Glamour. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
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