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.Author: TJ
Cast & crew
Director: John Musker, Ron Clements
Producer: Alice Dewey, John Musker, Ron Clements
Cast: Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Rip Torn, Samantha Eggar, Hal Holbrook full cast
Genre(s): Children's
Duration: 93 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
A Bond a day: No. 11 'Moonraker'
Time Out revisits the 21 Bond movies day by day to celebrate the release of 'Quantum of Solace'
The essential guide to the London Film Festival
Get the inside track on the all the films and events you'll want to catch at the Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival
Terence Davies: interview
Wally Hammond talks to visionary British director Terence Davies about his deeply personal and long-awaited new documentary ‘Of Time and the City’
W.
Read our early review of Oliver Stone's George W Bush biopic, 'W.', playing at this year's London Film Festival
Ten friendly ghost movies
To celebrate the release of 'Ghost Town' in which Ricky Gervais plays a New York dentist who can see dead people, Time Out counts down ten great friendly ghost movies.







What do you think?
Post your review now