Hercules

I really like the Disney classics. Before Walt Disney died we were treated to some brilliant films like 'Sleeping Beauty', 'The Jungle Book', 'The Lion King' and 'The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh'. One of my personal favourites is 'Hercules', something which can be described as a funny and witty parody of Greek mythology.

The storyline isn't really anything special, something a great admirer of Greek mythology would either love or hate, and something your know-not-it-all might describe as pretty average. That's not to say the plot is poor, it's just quite insignificant, that's all. Zeus and Hera have a baby named Hercules, who is loved by (nearly) all of the gods and goddesses who present him with fabulous gifts. Hercules' parents give him a white horse with wings and blue hair called Pegasus. Hades, who is bitter with Zeus for giving him control of the Underworld, gatecrashes the party and immediately despises Hercules.

The future is told to Hades. "In fifteen years precisely, the cosmos will align ever so nicely. The time to act will be at hand, release the Titans, your monstrous band. The once-proud Zeus will finally fall, and you, Hades, will rule all. A word of caution to this tale, if Hercules fights you will fail." So in a desperate attempt to rule over all, Hades orders his henchmen Pain and Panic to kidnap Hercules, turn him mortal and then kill him by forcing him to drink a potion which will drain him of his godlike powers. The henchmen attempt to do this, but while they do manage to turn Hercules mortal, they are prevented from feeding Hercules the last drop, and so he retained his godlike strength. When Pain and Panic tried to kill Hercules, the young baby immediately dispatches of these would-be assassins.

Pain and Panic don't tell Hades that they failed on their mission, so the young mortal grows up to be mocked for his strength and he feels that he belongs somewhere else. He goes to the Temple of Zeus and prays for answers when lighting strikes and the statue of Zeus animates. Hercules is told of the kidnapping and the turning to mortality and that to return to his parents, Hercules must become a true hero on Earth. Zeus re-unites Hercules with the now-grown-up Pegasus and sends them to the residence of Philoctetes, a perverted satyr who trained many brilliant heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles.

When Hades finds out that Hercules is still alive, he gets really mad and throws all manner of mythological minions in the young warrior's path, hoping to kill the flaw of his plan. Thus, a whole host of mythical creatures are present in this film, such as the River Gaurdian, Cerberus, the Erymanthian Boar, the Hydra, Medusa, the Titans and the Nemean Lion, who bears a distinct resemblance to Scar from 'The Lion King'.

'Hercules' is a film which shows the terrific quality of Disney's animation, script and design efforts. The many monsters are essentially brilliant and some of these, specifically the Hydra and the Titans are produced in such an admirable artistic style, one would be pressured to find a film of the same legendary design.

There are a few annoying parts in the film (a torturous plague which infects in many films) but in general 'Hercules' is a film worth watching. I'm a little disappointed that we only saw most of the monsters very briefly and the battle with the Titans wasn't as rich in length as one would expect, but these are minor failings and we see enough of these awesome antagonists to warrant 'Hercules' a pretty decent score.

Four Out Of Five.