The Legend of Hercules

Review by Pete Roche

Thracian King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins) is a power-mad overlord who conquers neighboring Grecian provinces simply because he can.  Tired of her husband’s hubris, Queen Alcmene (Roxanne McKee) prays to goddess Hera for an end to the king’s warring ways and an era of peace for her people.  Hera arranges for Alcmene to conceive the demigod child of Zeus and—vis-à-vis a ghoulish-looking proxy—assures her the boy will one day overthrow the king and restore order.

Amphitryon detests his stepson from birth.  Convinced he’s been cuckholded by a mortal man, he alienates Alcmene and promises to bequeath his kingdom to his elder son, Iphicles (Liam Garrigan). 

Twenty years on, Iphicles (Liam Garrigan) and Hercules (TWILIGHT’s Kellan Lutz) are siblings in a house divided.  To garner favor with his father, weasely, conniving Iphicles takes credit for Hercules’ good deeds and heroic feats, including the defeat of the Namean Lion.  The brothers also compete for the hand of comely Cretan princess Hebe (Gaia Weiss).  Hercules and Hebe are hot for one another and frequently wander off to swim at a remote waterfall, but manipulative Amphitryon arranges for Iphicles to wed Hebe, inherit the throne, and perpetuate his prickly rule. 

Get free passes to see 'The Legend of Hercules'

Enter to win passes to attend the 3D advance screening of THE LEGEND OF HERCULES! Visit Gofobo.com/RSVP and enter code CMB2DJ1. The screening is taking place on Thursday, January 9 at 7:30pm at Regal Richmond Town Square. Enter to win by Monday, January 6. First-come, first served seating. The film opens on January 10.

 

SYNOPSIS: In the epic origin story THE LEGEND OF HERCULES, Kellan Lutz stars as the mythical Greek hero – the son of Zeus, a half-god, half-man blessed with extraordinary strength.  Betrayed by his stepfather, the King, and exiled and sold into slavery because of a forbidden love, Hercules must use his formidable powers to fight his way back to his rightful kingdom.  Through harrowing battles and gladiator-arena death matches, Hercules embarks on a legendary odyssey to overthrow the King and restore peace to the land.

Note from Cleveland Movie Blog Editor Bob Ignizio: As always with these giveaways, I cannot stress enough that if you really want to see the movie, you should arrive early.  And by early I mean a minimum of 30 minutes before the movie is about to start, probably earlier unless you want to get a stiff neck from sitting in the front few rows.