Hercules begins with a musical number performed by the Muses, but here instead of nine, they have been whittled down to five. Why? Who knows, but for some reason I can hear the writers saying something along the lines of "O.K., we've got Terpsichore Spice, Calliope Spice, Erato Spice, Polyhymnia Spice and Thalia Spice!" The Muses proceed to lay down the background of the story, explaining how the Titans were bad guys (we know they're bad because they look like natural disasters) and they were defeated by Zeus and banished to a prison in limbo.
My first serious problem with Hercules was the lack of authenticity. In the original myth, Hercules is the bastard son of Zeus and a mortal woman, and, because he is living proof of Zeus' infidelity, Hera is his enemy. This part of the myth is carried out faithfully in the television series, but apparently the idea of the gods having extra-marital affairs was a problem for the folks at Disney. Now, Hercules is the son of Zeus and Hera, and they have a cozy family unit and a big celebration for his birth to which all the gods are invited. Well, almost all the gods. In a scene reminiscent of the christening scene in Sleeping Beauty, Hades shows up and is miffed that he wasn't invited.
Hades is the most entertaining character in the movie, voiced with the sly humor of a Hollywood agent by James Woods. Hades returns to the underworld and consults the three Fates on the threat that Hercules may be to Hades' plan to take over the world. I was disappointed with the way the Fates were portrayed, all three of them being toothless, wizened hags with various body parts falling off.
Hades hatches a plot to turn Hercules into a mortal so he can kill him, but with typical villain short-sightedness, he leaves the task to his bumbling sidekicks, who botch the job. The baby Hercules is left as mostly mortal but with superhuman strength. This mortality excludes him from living on Olympus, but fortunately a kindly childless couple arrives to rescue him and raise him as their own.
Cut to 18 years or so later and Hercules is a social misfit looking to fit in. His adopted parents give him the "you're not our natural born son but we love you as though you were" speech, along with an amulet of Zeus which he was found with. This sends Hercules off on a musical mission to find out where he truly belongs. This theme has been so overplayed in Disney cartoons that it now falls flat. We could interchange this character with Quasimodo or Pocahontas and not lose very much in the process. Zeus now appears to Hercules and reveals his true origins, and that he may reclaim his god-hood by proving himself to be a "true hero." How to do this? Well, Hercules undertakes the typical tasks of slaying monsters and rescuing maidens, but of course, being a true hero has a much deeper meaning, which I won't reveal here. You'll probably be able to figure it out for yourself anyway.
When Disney did The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, they stumbled onto a formula for creative, touching and enjoyable movies. But each animated film since then has seemed less and less original and more and more formulaic. Until now, each Disney hero or heroine has been able to touch my heart in some way, but with Hercules I just didn't care. As for the female lead, Megara, it seems as if Disney is trying to overcompensate for past mistakes with weak, dependent stereotypical princesses. True, Megara is tough, independent and able to take care of herself, but instead of liking her, I was put off by her. And in truth, I was put off by this whole movie. It's harmless fluff entertainment for the kids, but it could have been so much more.
I've heard rumors that Steven Spielberg is looking to do an animated version of the Eros and Psyche myth. I'll keep my fingers crossed that his attempt at Greek mythology proves to have more heart.
My rating: Two Pentacles (Out of a possible five).
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