Film

Hercules (1997)

Director: John Musker, Ron Clements

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Ancient myth the Disney way, with all the incest, virgin-ravishing and animal cruelty merrily replaced by sound family values and a whole urnful of peppy 1990s pop references. It could easily seem crass, but it's hard to get all serious about a film that so revels in its own infectious humour, distributes gags to all ages, and displays great craft in art director Gerald Scarfe's angular integrated visual design. In short another benchmark achievement for the Aladdin team of Musker and Clements. As in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the makers are clued-in enough to take a rise out of their conventional hero, and the grown-up Herc here is a likeable big lug, though not too smart - game enough to slay the Hydra, but not so savvy he can spot the machinations of honey-voiced siren Megara, who's secretly in league with Hades, the megalomaniac ruler of the Underworld. As voiced by Woods, this cigar-chomping super-bad guy remains the chief attraction for grown-ups, who'll also relish the gospelling divas of the none-too-Greek chorus, and the cheeky send-up of ancient Thebes' own merchandising industry. Littl'uns will go for DeVito's knockabout hero-training satyr.

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