Scarfe was brought in because of his artwork looking quite a bit like actual vases. Here we have the Dream Girls singing to Herc in some traditional pot art. Before we move onto impressions, we need to discuss the casting of Hades. After Danny DeVito was cast, he asked about Hades. The directors were having a tough time with the character.
DeVito told them to hire Jack Nicholson. They were back to square one. Many other actors would audition for the part, including John Lithgow, Kevin Spacey, Phil Hartmann and Martin Landau, before they finally found James Woods who played the character completely different. He was hired and thank goodness for that. Hercules is a mile a minute fun-fest. Everything about this film is fast and crazy.
That makes Pegasus showing up to headbutt Herc even more hilarious. Hercules is a fantastic character. I also like that while he has the powers of a God, he deals with a very human issue.
Namely, he counts material successes as true heroism. Here we have a battle between idealism and cynicism. He still maintains his quirkyness in the end though, and that makes this character who could just be another macho-man, quite relatable.
Just as amazing as Hercules though, is Hades, the lord of the Underworld. Hades is excellent. He delights in making deals in order to put together his evil plans. You sort of get this sense that Hades really just wants someone to talk to. Hades is the perfect example of people who hate happy people simply because they themselves are not happy. All of this comes down to a sarcastic, quick-witted villain who has more zingers than almost every other character in the film.
I particularly love that during the final battle for Olympus, he is not particularly involved. Instead, he sits off to the sidelines, cheering and making comic book like noises as the titans break things.
The supporting cast is equally fantastic. He presents slapstick humor at its finest, and it really works in this film. I love this old creepy man-goat persona that gives us the more cynical side of heroism.
Pegasus is trusty and true but also provides a lot of good laughs. His competition with Meg is particularly great as it gives the two a lot of good moments together. In a way, Pegasus takes the little hints of horses being slightly human from Hunchback and expands on it.
I like Meg a lot. I promise I do. BUT, I hate that all of her problems involve men. Her entire lot in life revolves around her feelings for men. She loved a man and traded her soul for his life. Then she falls for Herc and that causes even more issues. Thebes is basically New York City. We see toy stores selling action figures. Gods wearing sunglasses. Fates talk about indoor plumbing. It all has this present day vibe, despite being set quite long ago.
Add in the gospel like music from Alan Menken and you get this really eclectic film that feels so fresh and different. It just pops with style and originality. Hercules was not a financial success, but it was a critical one. Most critics found it to be a lot of fun, even though many sighted, in sometimes dramatic ways, not liking the art direction of the film.
It takes the time to throw in the jokes and keeps them coming for truly legitimate laughs. The characters are all a delight to watch and even the villain is hilarious. The Hydra is dazzling to behold and the scene in which it grows all of its heads is one of the most epic to date in a Disney film. In the end, Hercules is all about growing up and fitting in. It succeeds because it relates to us on a very human level and in the end, love saves the day and in finding love, Hercules finds his place in the world.
Stop looking at my pecs. Is that so much to ask? That being said, all are actually taken with my phone during our viewing in order to capture the moment in a slightly different way than originally intended. ALSO: My Fiancee has a blog too and he is talking about all the classics we are currently watching, which involves more than just Disney. Head over HERE and check it out! Categories: Vault Disney.
It lent character to the film. One of my personal top 10 Disney movies. Even after becoming a worldwide phenomenon, Hercules still had his honest, sweet, cheerful and friendly nature, not once letting the fame dangerously inflate his ego.
This makes Hercules one of the purest of heart as a Disney character. Before training with Philoctetes, Hercules a courageous youth but clumsy and inept, where even if he accidentally slips or trips on his too-big feet, losing his balance, he ended up humiliating himself in blunders or goes about inadvertently destroying things. Indeed, when a group of boys throw a discus into the marketplace, Hercules catches it, but stumbles back and causes the destruction of the entire marketplace.
Like most teenagers, Hercules was also wide-eyed, shy and timid, having a tendency to stammer when he speaks, fidget with his hands, flinch when startled or frightened, and stand or stagger in a pigeon-toed stance. He beamed or brightened when he gets happy about something, or if dazed, he develops a goofy lopsided grin.
When the giant statue of Zeus came to life reaching for Hercules, his first instinct was to scream and tried running away from the towering figure, terrified and unable to help himself before being picked up in the statue's massive hands, feeling like an insect as he tried to escape the god's enormous fingers. Hero-training with Phil was so difficult that Hercules often thought of quitting, but in the end he refused to give up and kept on working to reach his goal, committed to seeing this through, such as practicing swordplay and archery, because he had his eyes on that prize.
As a hero-in-training, known for his unbridled strength and bravery rather than intelligence and wisdom, Hercules can be reckless, cocky and gets confused easily or distracted, being in way over his head. Sometimes Hercules passes his tests, whereas other times he fails in foolhardy efforts, such as his training to fight a dragon, only for tomatoes Phil's makeshift dragon fire to start flying and hit him.
On his cousin Triton , Herc described him as a "bumbling, stumbling, uncoordinated goof", which his friends Icarus and Cassandra compared to Herc's own flaws in his attempts to become somebody important. Despite becoming the model of physical perfection as an adult, Hercules retains teenage flaws of which he never quite grows out seen by his various expressions he makes throughout his encounters and exciting adventures.
Underneath his heroic bravado, Hercules can be shy as seen when he presented himself to a crowd of Thebans who initially dismiss him as an amateur. In addition, as he faced large creatures like the Hydra, Hercules gaped dumbstruck, staring wide-eyed with his jaw dropped in horror or screaming in terror as his arms flail in panic, having never been so afraid in his life as the monster attempts to eat the young hero. After cutting his way out from inside the Hydra, Hercules was momentarily weakened from the ordeal; dazed, swaying on his feet, exhausted and covered head-to-toe in green slime, he drops his sword with a clang, then collapses to the ground.
Lastly, in spite of his reputation and accomplishments at being a handsome hero, muscular, and seemingly confident, Hercules had no idea how to talk to women. When Hercules first tried introducing himself to Megara, he stared at her curiously, smiled a goofy smile, and became tongue-tied, unable to speak as he is smitten with her.
Hercules was also nervous when visited by a group of fangirls. Having escaped his fangirls, Meg found the sheepish-looking hero, who tried to cover himself with his hands in an awkward knock-kneed position and round shouldered position of embarrassment. But the more time Hercules got to know Meg, the less nervous he became.
Optimistic and vibrant, Hercules had dreams becoming a true hero, battling monsters, rescuing damsels, and other acts of heroism. He barreled himself into situations without thinking, and got into trouble. And even when outmatched physically and mentally, Hercules would stand his ground and was determined to prove that he isn't afraid.
Whenever he confronted a foe, Hercules tried to act bold, sometimes with bravado or by using good manners, but words failed him. He would try and mask his alarm, but that only made it more obvious and he begins to doubt his abilities. And yet each time, Hercules had gotten back up, equally as angry and more determined than ever. He would fight as hard as he could as long as he could.
But once he concentrated, focused, analyzed the situation and controlled his strength, Hercules would come out victorious. His versatility also allows him to find his way out of situations by unorthodox methods. Upon completion of his training, Hercules became less gawky and klutzy but more athletic and skillful in his heroics, albeit eager and sometimes reckless.
However, Hercules does get arrogant, swaggering and puffing out his chest, his brash confidence growing. Phil does berate Hercules for the sloppy rookie mistakes he made in the fight with Nessus, such as being distracted and losing his sword, but Hercules scoffs and pays him little attention, since he did win.
His overconfidence and lack of experience is also noted during his battle with the Hydra when the enormous creature manifested legitimate fear within Hercules as the beast initially swallows him whole, and while a swarm of heads close in on the helpless young hero, Hercules tells Phil that he didn't think they covered this in basic training.
Varying fighting techniques, albeit clumsily, Hercules used all his skills and ingenuity to attack and avoid falling prey to the multi-headed monster's appetite. Despite the odds against him, Hercules was desperate yet not ready to give up and was willing to sacrifice himself by burying the monster under a mountain of rocks. Though he was weakened from the ordeal, battered, his sword lost, his tunic and cape torn, Hercules impressed the crowd of Thebans having found inspiration in their new champion accomplishing the unsavory yet heroic task and emerges triumphant over what appeared to be a very unbeatable foe.
Afterwards, Hercules showed great skill when he was able to win against a boar with a bow and arrow as well as beating monsters with his bare hands. There are instances, such as when he temporarily gave up his mighty strength, Hercules would strain for that last ounce of strength that might go the distance, that might make the difference. Notably, whilst usually on the bright side, Hercules has a headstrong and assertive side, having an effective sternness and frustration to his personality.
For instance, if Hercules was no match for the monsters he battled, struggling to hold them back or wrenching himself free from their grip, it would take all of his might or sometimes desperation to hold his own and keep them at bay.
It is also notably seen where the actions of Hades take a turn for the worse, killing and threatening the entire world of Olympus, as well as Megara. This can be seen again when his trainer and close companion, Phil, questioned Megara's affections towards the handsome hero after witnessing her plotting against the latter with Hades though it was a misunderstanding at that point in the movie. The primary lesson Hercules learns throughout the film is what it takes to be a true hero.
While Hercules defeated many monsters, it was something his father Zeus explained he had to learn for himself, having confused real heroism with being famous. After meeting and falling in love with the beautiful Meg, Hercules would learn a true hero is measured by the strength of his heart, as opposed to the strength of his muscles.
Hercules has short strawberry-blond hair and blue wide-eyes and wears a brown sweatband on his head. In his god form, while he was still an infant before two of Hades' lackeys Pain and Panic remove his godhood by forcefully drinking a magic potion to stop his crying and after emerging at the River of Styx after he saves Megara's spirit as an adult, his hair becomes golden blonde and lightens up in a golden hue. As an infant, he only wears a white Roman-type diaper and wears a red necklace with a golden Zeus pendant.
As a adolescent, Hercules was an overgrown farm-boy that awkward and too big for his body. He was a tall and scrawny teenager, with a long skinny neck and oversized ears, broad but stooped shoulders, extraordinarily long arms and legs, big hands and too-big pigeon-toed clumsy feet. Hercules wore a white single sleeveless Roman garb and brown warrior sandals.
When being trained heavily by Phil, where he sometimes wore a brown sweatband with his tunic, Hercules became a little more athletic. In the animated series, Hercules was regarded as "strapping, smooth-skinned son of Zeus" by Clotho , and as a hero-in-training, occasionally had a helmet to accompany his hero gear. When he becomes a grown adult and a fully-trained hero, Hercules is handsome, robust, and very masculine. He is bronzed, not just "filled out" but square-jawed, chiseled faced, broad-shouldered, top-heavy, muscular and brawny, gaining larger biceps and pectorals and thickened neck, with his chest puffed out and his feet now nicely turned out.
Herc has a sharp jawline and an extremely broad neck, conveying his immense strength. While he is the pinnacle of physical perfection, with muscles rippling all over his body, Hercules retained some of his flaws from his awkward teenage years of which he never quite grows out. He is still sensitive with strong but gentle features.
As a hero, Hercules wears a brown Roman warrior armor gear with a dark brown belt, brown wristbands, and matching warrior sandals. He also gains a long light blue cape on the back of his tunic and wields a warrior sword and shield. Hercules is born on Mount Olympus with all the powers of a god to his loving parents, Zeus and Hera. He is born with super strength that makes him strong enough to lift his father in the air. On the celebration of his birth, during which the Olympian Gods present the infant god with a multitude of gifts, Zeus himself creates the winged-horse Pegasus as a gift.
It seems to be a joyous occasion, although one god is not happy about the new arrival: Zeus' brother and Hercules' uncle Hades , Lord of the Underworld.
Hercules' evil uncle Hades tried to give his gift, a spiked skull-shaped pacifier, by attempting to stick it into the baby's mouth. However, Hercules managed to squeeze Hades' hand in order to get him to drop the pacifier before it almost went into his mouth. Unbeknownst to the other gods, Hades wants to take control of Mount Olympus and the world, but according to the Fates ' prophecy, while Hades has a chance in eighteen years, if Hercules chooses to fight, his plans will be ruined.
Knowing that as a god, Hercules is immortal, Hades sends his two lackeys, Pain and Panic , to kidnap Hercules and turn him mortal by means of a magic potion. Although they succeed in the first part of the plan, carrying Hercules down to Earth, they are interrupted by two human peasants Amphytryon and Alcmene before Hercules finishes drinking and the final drop falls wasted on the ground. Pain and Panic nevertheless try to attack baby Hercules in the guise of snakes.
But before the snakes can strike, they discover that because Hercules did not drink the last drop he has retained his godly strength, and they are beaten back. Amphytryon and Alcmene adopt the child, considering his arrival a gift from the gods since they are themselves childless.
Too late, Zeus and the other gods discover the kidnapping. Because Hercules is now considered a mortal, however, they are unable to take him back to Olympus. Years later, Hercules is raised as a polite, hardworking farm-boy and tries to be a good son to Amphytryon and Alcmene.
However, he grows into an overgrown clumsy teenager who cannot control his unbridled strength, and only ends up causing havoc and alienating those around him. When Hercules accidentally flattens the local marketplace after catching a discus, this causes a commotion and triggered anger in the townsfolk, with one of them, the pottery salesmen Demetrius, calling him a "freak", breaking his spirits.
Amphytryon tries to comfort Hercules by telling him not let what everyone said to get to him, but Hercules concedes that no matter how hard he tries, he simply cannot fit in with normal people, and questions if he truly belongs on Earth.
He'd go the distance, walk every mile, and go almost anywhere to feel that he belonged. That night, his foster parents decide to finally come clean to him about the circumstances of his adoption, showing him a medallion they find that bears the symbol of the gods Zeus' lightning bolt. Hercules sets off to find his place in the world and goes to the Temple of Zeus for guidance.
Inside the temple, a giant statue of Zeus came to life with a flash of lightning. As the giant figure picked him up in his massive hands, a terrified and confused Hercules froze when Zeus revealed himself as his father. Explaining his origin, Zeus tells Hercules that the only way the god-turned-mortal can rejoin his parents on Mount Olympus is to prove himself a "true hero" on Earth.
Zeus then presents a grown-up Pegasus to join Hercules as a constant companion. Hercules jumped onto the winged horse, and they fly off. As of that moment, Hercules' journey to restore his godhood has begun. Riding on his winged horse, Hercules goes to seek out Philoctetes , the trainer of heroes Zeus sent him to find. Arriving on an island , Hercules was surprised to discover that Philoctetes or Phil was a wisecracking little satyr, and asked for his help to become a true hero.
Phil initially refuses to train Hercules, having been let down too many times by previous would-be heroes who could not go the distance, but changes his mind after Zeus zaps him with a bolt of lightning as punishment for doubting his son. As time passes, Hercules slowly masters all the rules Phil can teach and transforms from klutzy boy to hero material.
When he has reached adulthood and passed his training, Hercules wants to go to where the action was. Full of confidence and sure that he would be a hero, Hercules sets off with Phil to the city of Thebes. On his way, Hercules encounters Megara , who is being pursued by the lecherous centaur Nessus. Despite Meg's insistence that she didn't even need the uncertain hero's help in the first place, Hercules is eager to use his new skills and intervenes.
After a couple of disastrous missteps, Hercules beats Nessus and rescues Meg. While the distracted Hercules is smitten and quickly develops romantic feelings for Meg, both Phil and Pegasus immediately dislike her and set off. Unbeknownst to them, Meg is working for Hercules' uncle Hades. Upon hearing from her that Hercules is still alive, Hades plots once again to kill the eager young would-be hero. Meanwhile, Hercules and Phil arrived in Thebes to prove their worth, one as a hero and the other as a trainer.
Hercules shyly introduced himself to a group of Thebans , who rolled their eyes, seeing Hercules as an amateur and wouldn't give him a chance. Suddenly, Meg appears and tells Hercules about two little boys trapped and require rescuing. Lured to a canyon, Hercules lifts a massive boulder from the mouth of a cave, freeing the boys, but only a few people applauded, still not willing to believe Hercules is a hero.
Despite his bravado, brimming with confidence, Hercules got cocky too quickly as he was oblivious to the unintended consequences. Hercules thinks he rescued the "boys" Pain and Panic in disguise but instead releases the Hydra , a giant serpent-like creature, which has been set up as a fixed battle by Hades.
Though afraid, Hercules bravely fights the Hydra with just his sword and his wits. Hercules scrambles to defeat the monster until it threw him into the air and swallowed him whole. But after a moment, Hercules slashed his way out from inside the Hydra.
He became more confident in his heroics, having also impressed the Thebans enough to give him better applause, but falls to the ground, dazed and covered in green slime, momentarily weakened from the ordeal.
Although Hercules thought he did great, three heads oozed from the Hydra's wound. As Hercules retreated from the three-headed monster closing in on him, he whistled for Pegasus. Flying around the Hydra, Hercules sliced off one head, only for more heads to grow back. Hercules ends up inside a living jungle of Hydra necks, horrified as snarling heads gang up to attack him, until the enormous creature pinned the desperate hero to a cliff with its clawed foot.
Thinking quickly, Hercules smashed his powerful fists into the cliff, causing an avalanche, burying him and the multi-headed Hydra under a mountain of rocks.
However, a bruised and battered Hercules emerges from the Hydra's foot unharmed. Bursting into wild shouts and cheers, the crowd rushed in as the light shined on Hercules, eager to congratulate their new champion by hoisting him on their shoulders.
Having accomplished the unsavory yet heroic task, Hercules earned newfound fame and adoration. As word of Hercules' deeds spread, the grateful people of Thebes found inspiration in him as he continued his heroics. During the song "Zero to Hero", Hercules put the "glad" in gladiator and his daring deeds were great theater, some of which the hero has attended. Hercules is shown to dispatch every variety of monsters Hades sends to defeat him, enraging Hades with each victory Hercules attains against the beasts, saving the town and overcoming disasters.
By the time Hercules and Pegasus again paid a visit to the temple of Zeus, Hercules has become the toast of Greece: famous, rich, and believes himself a true hero. However, Hercules is distraught when Zeus tells him he has not quite gotten there yet, unsure of what more he can do. Meg, on assignment from Hades, convinces him to play "hooky", or truant for the day, going on a date.
The date is ended by Phil, irate at Herc for skipping training. Phil is knocked off Pegasus and wakes up in time to learn of Meg's involvement with Hades. Hades then discovers that Hercules loves Meg and uses that knowledge to attempt to take the hero out of the picture while he attempts to overtake Olympus. Hercules, ecstatic from the date, refuses to believe Phil's warning about Meg, even accidentally hitting him in a flash of blind anger, prompting Phil to quit as his trainer, with Hercules, still in a state of anger, telling him to go ahead and leave, but becomes remorseful over his actions after Phil has departed.
As soon as he is gone, Hades confronts Hercules, offering Meg's safety if the hero will give up his godly strength for 24 hours long enough for Hades to conquer Olympus. Hercules is reluctant to see anyone hurt, but Hades vows that no harm will come to Meg.
Herc agrees, Hades takes the opportunity to reveal Meg's role in his scheme, in that Meg had been working for Hades all along only for Herc to realize that Phil was telling the truth about Meg working for Hades and should have listened to him all along thereby leaving the hero shocked, humiliated, and heartbroken. Enacting his plan, setting free the Titans from Tartarus, Hades sends a Cyclops to destroy Hercules so that he can't get in the way later on.
Hercules has been so disheartened and demoralized by learning the truth about Meg that he doesn't even try to fight the Cyclops. Meg hurries to fetch Phil, who convinces Hercules not to give up.
0コメント