Hercules: The Thracian Wars To Grace Theaters in 2014
I long for a movie that is able to portray Greek mythology
in its raw immensity, richness and splendor. I long for this richness not just
in the landscape and scenery of Ancient Greece but also in the relationships
between Gods, Demi-Gods and humans. As a child, when I read these Greek stories
what stood out were the connections formed between these entities and the
emotions they evoked. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is ensnared in a perilous
journey that separates him from his wife and family for decades. In The Iliad, Achilles
is doomed to die in the Trojan War, a fate his mother knows all too well, so
his decision to join Agamemnon’s forces would crush the hopes of any parent.
The chronicles itself were enough. The sheer depth and velocity of the tale was
enough to sear the anecdote into anyone’s memory.
Of course, then there were the mythical creatures, the
Hydra, Minotaur, Cyclops and even Medusa. As children, the names alone would
suffice to engulf the mind with images of colossal grandeur or leave us
shivering in fright and fear. Recent movies showcased an army of these
monsters, in The Immortals, Clash of the Titans and Wrath of the Titans. That
was all these movies had to be noteworthy in any light. The films were bloated
with CGI and special effects, creating grotesque and abnormal creatures that
surprisingly, did not stir the emotions one felt as a child. In The Immortals,
I don’t know what that Minotaur was. It could well have been a football team
mascot with a bull’s head. Even the more well-crafted beasts failed to form a
sense of awe and wonder. Hollywood has marketed a line of Sci-Fi and Fantasy
pictures so many times that a monster is now just a monster, a kraken is just a
large fish in the water and a Cyclops is a giant you might see in the new Jack
the Giant Slayer. This is why the emotive aspects of Greek legend must emerge
for this genre to be successful. News of the New Hercules movie got my hopes
up, thinking this was the one that would break the status quo. But it was not
to be.
Hercules: The Thracian Wars is set after the 12 Labors of
Hercules. He is part of a band of gore-seeking mercenaries, a group that
follows the coin. This time around, they’re hired by the King of Thrace to
train the royal’s soldiers for their upcoming battles. I can already see the
ground irrigated with the blood of a 1000 decapitated bodies. This is what may
follow if Radical Comics and IMDb are to be believed, as the movie is to be
based on a comic. So, we have a new 300 movie or one along the lines of the
Spartacus TV series… not that I hate them both, but so much for character depth
and bonds.
This point is reinforced by the choice of lead actor, The
Rock. It has been awhile since he sported long hair, the last time being in the
Scorpion King. He will look like a clown I suppose, but his physical stature is
quite Herculean, and his WWE experience should serve as a qualification for
slaughtering an on-screen army. Yet, the director Brett Ratner may decide to inject
the film with something besides only violence. He is recognized as Director for
X-Men: The Last Stand and Red Dragon (a picture featuring Anthony Hopkins as
Hannibal Lecter) while also directing several Prison Break episodes. His
diverse portfolio should instill some faith in those viewers weary of
dismembered bodies. Fingers crossed. If it doesn't you could check out the
Disney version of Hercules, one I relished back in the days, or even Kevin
Sorbo’s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, a TV show lasting 6 seasons. They had
plenty of wit and humor besides the usual dose of selected action sequences. This
should keep you busy till 2014.
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| Picture from the Thracian Wars comic book. |
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