Paramount Pictures
Dwayne Johnson is one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, but that doesn’t mean all of his movies live fondly in people’s memories. Before he was known for playing characters like Maui in “Moana,” he portrayed the title character in 2014’s “Hercules,” a moderately entertaining fantasy actioner that’s currently available to stream for free on Amazon Prime.
Directed by Brett Ratner, “Hercules” follows Johnson’s character as he rocks a loin cloth and helps save a kingdom from a ruthless warlord. Cue some scenes where the Greek demigod hits baddies with a giant wooden club and spouts some one-liners while undergoing a hero’s journey along the way. Still, what else do you need from a movie of this ilk?
Johnson has been known to star in some major blockbuster flops, but “Hercules” wasn’t one of them. The film grossed just over $243 million on the back of a $100 million budget, making it a modest hit. Johnson has starred in far more successful movies since, which might have overshadowed this one. However, the actor believes that “Hercules” was one of the tougher performances of his career.
How Dwayne Johnson brought Hercules to life
Paramount Pictures
Whatever you think about Dwayne Johnson’s movies, there is no denying that he’s a physical phenomenon. If you’re going to make a movie about a Greek demigod, casting a 6’5, muscular hulk is the right way to go. However, while Johnson was more than experienced at playing action heroes prior to “Hercules,” the combat training he undertook to prepare for the role was challenging.
“I trained harder for this role than I ever had before,” Johnson told Collider. “You get one shot at Hercules, so it was about eight months of training, of prep, of fun mythology study, dialect coach, things like that. It was a very long process.”
The fight scenes are fun, and Johnson’s club training shows on the screen, which should make the movie appeal to action aficionados. “Hercules” is unpretentious and sets out to deliver a mythological tale in the vein of “300,” and it’s perfectly serviceable. One could even argue that it’s one of the most underrated Dwayne Johnson movies, simply because it’s better than its forgotten status would have some people believe.
