Taglines: Every man has a destiny.
In Ancient Greece 1200 B.C., a queen succumbs to the lust of Zeus to bear a son promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship. But this prince, Hercules, knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete, who has been promised to his own brother. When Hercules learns of his greater purpose, he must choose: to flee with his true love or to fulfill his destiny and become the true hero of his time. The story behind one of the greatest myths is revealed in this action-packed epic – a tale of love, sacrifice and the strength of the human spirit.
The Legend of Hercules (formerly known as Hercules: The Legend Begins and Hercules 3D) is an American action fantasy film directed by Renny Harlin and co-written by Harlin with Daniel Giat, Giulio Steve, and Sean Hood. The film stars Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, Roxanne McKee, and Liam Garrigan. The film was widely panned by critics and was a box office flop. It was one of two Hollywood-studio Hercules films scheduled for 2014, with Paramount Pictures and MGM’s Hercules.
About the Story
In 1200 BC ancient Greece, King Amphitryon of Tires invades the shores of Argos. The two massive armies face each other, prepared for battle. Amphitryon strikes a bargain with the rival King Galenus: the two will fight to the death, to the victor goes his adversary’s kingdom and army. The two engage in combat and Amphitryon easily defeats Galenus and seizes his kingdom.
That night, Amphitryon is visited by his estranged wife, Queen Alcmene. Amphitryon boasts he won the kingdom for her while Alcmene protests he won the kingdom for himself and its gold. Alcmene is disgusted by her husband’s thirst for power and warmongering. She prays to Hera for guidance. A woman appears declaring herself to be Hera, wife of Zeus, and prophesies that Alcmene will bear the son of Zeus and he will be the savior of her people. The only other witness to this is Chiron, the queen’s loyal adviser.
That night, as Amphitryon celebrates his victory, Alcmene is visited by Zeus. She is discovered by Amphitryon who believes the Queen has taken a mortal lover. Alcmene soon gives birth to a healthy baby boy whom Amphitryon names Alcides, but she secretly acknowledges his true name: Hercules. Twenty years later, a strong and handsome Hercules/Alcides rides along the countryside with his love, Hebe. They frolic along the shore of a secluded lake. Alcides admires Hebe’s necklace which was given to her by her mother; she in turn bestows the necklace to Alcides. The two are discovered by Alcides’ older brother, Iphicles. A search party was dispatched to look for Hebe, a princess of Crete.
Hebe returns to the palace along with her guard while Alcides and Iphicles follow. Along the way, the two are attacked by a lion. Alcides wrestles with the lion, strangling it. Iphicles takes all the credit and arrives at the royal banquet wearing the lion’s pelt as a cloak. He attempts to humiliate Alcides, calling him a coward but Hebe sees right through him. At the banquet Amphitron announces the engagement of Hebe and Iphicles. The two lovers are devastated and decide to run away together. They are chased down by the royal guard and Hebe nearly drowns before being saved by Alcides. Alcides is taken back to the palace and is sent away by his father to join a campaign of soldiers to Egypt.
As Alcides prepares for his journey, Alcmene tells him of his true lineage. Alcides believes it is madness and departs for his journey vowing to return to Hebe in three moons before her impending nuptials. Alcides, under the command of Captain Sotiris, traverses the arid Egyptian desert. Sotiris sends two scouts ahead to scour the desert but they never return. The company is ambushed, leaving Alcides and Sotiris as the last survivors.
The leader of the ambush recovers Alcides’ helmet and demands to know where the prince is. Sotiris gestures to the body of a slain soldier, saying he is Alcides. Alcides refers to himself as Hercules to protect his identity. It is revealed that Amphitryon planned the ambush in hopes of killing Hercules. The two are sold off as slaves to a vicious promoter who organizes gladiator style fights. Sotiris and Hercules fight to death with other slaves and soon become undefeated.
Sotiris and Hercules convince the promoter to send them to Greece in order to fight in an arena battle in which two gladiators fight six undefeated gladiators. If the promoter were to bet on Hercules and Sotiris he would have riches beyond his wildest dreams. The promoter agrees to take Sotiris and Hercules if they are able to defeat two other gladiators, Half Face and Humbaba. The four are thrown into an arena, with narrow stone paths divided by pits studded with spikes. Hercules defeats Half Face and Humbaba but Sotiris is injured. The promoter refuses to take Sotiris, since he will be useless in battle but Hercules convinces him to set Sotiris free and he will fight all six gladiators himself.
Back in Greece, Alcmene and Hebe mourn the death of Hercules. Alcmene once again seeks guidance from Hera. Amphitryon discovers her and confronts her about Hercules’ parentage. She reveals she took Zeus as her lover so that she would bear the child that would overthrow him, after which she tries to stab Amphitryon, but fails. In anger, Amphitryon stabs Alcmene with her own dagger. Chiron discovers them and Amphitryon tells him the Queen committed suicide in her grief. Meanwhile, Hercules arrives in Greece and easily bests the six gladiators in battle. The people celebrate his victory and deserters of Amphitryon’s army join him and Sotiris. Chiron brings Hercules’ news of his mother, who vows to avenge her death. Sotiris and Hercules seek refuge in the home of the human vessel of Hera, who foretells Hercules’ destiny.
Hebe is in anguish after the death of Alcides and dreads her wedding to Iphicles, in just two moons. She tries to leap off the roof of the palace but is saved by Chiron who brings her to Hercules. The two are reunited and return to Hercules’ safe-house. Amphitryon’s army begins to desert him, forcing him to hire foreign mercenaries. Hercules and Sotiris begin a fight against Amphitryon’s campaign of tyranny, angering Amphitryon who seeks to destroy them. Iphicles, aided by the mercenaries, murders Sotiris’ wife and uses his son as a bargaining chip.
He must lead them to Hercules or his son will die. Sotiris reluctantly leads them to the safe-house. Iphicles discovers that Hercules is none other than his brother Alcides. Hercules, Chiron, and Hebe are captured. Sotiris and Chiron are imprisoned while Hercules is chained and publicly flogged. Sotiris and Chiron are brought before the crowd. Hercules watches on in horror as Iphicles murders Chiron under Amphitryon’s orders. In anguish he acknowledges his father and calls upon him for strength. Hercules breaks free from his chains and crushes Amphitryon’s guard. Amphitryon and Iphicles escape.
The Legend of Hercules
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Starring: Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, Roxanne McKee, Johnathon Schaech, Sarai Givaty, Jukka Hilden
Screenplay by: Daniel Giat, Renny Harlin
Production Design by: Luca Tranchino
Cinematography by: Sam McCurdy
Film Editing by: Vincent Tabaillon
Costume Design by: Sonoo Mishra
Set Decoration by: Valentina Mladenova
Music by: Tuomas Kantelinen
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense combat action and violence, and for some sensuality.
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Release Date: February 7, 2014
Visits: 77
