Thursday has rolled back around and it is once again time for Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. The topic this time around is movies based on legend and/or mythology. There are literally thousands of such movies out there. I decided to limit my choices to a singular god. The one with the muscles.
Hercules in New York
(1969)
To most people, Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie career started with 1982's Conan the Barbarian. More informed viewers might tell you it began with a TV movie, 1980's The Jayne Mansfield Story or the 1976 documentary Pumping Iron. However, if you're really an Arnie aficianado, you know that his first acting gig was playing Greek god Hercules in this so-bad-it's-awesome treat. To be fair, it might be a bit confusing since he is billed as "Arnold Strong." Anyhoo, in this version, Herc gets kicked out of Olympus, lands in the Big Apple, becomes a pro wrestler, meets a girl, and gets mixed up with gangsters. No, seriously. (My full review)
Hercules
(1983)
We go from one body builder to another. This time Hercules is played by the Incredible Hulk of my youth, Lou Ferrigno. Could he handle the expanded acting responsibilities of playing a person with more lines that "Raaaawwwwwrrrrrr!" No, not really. The writing, directing, other actors, nor special fx were enough to help him out since they all sucked as well. Thankfully, they were all terrible in a fantastic way. So yeah, it's so bad it's awesome!
Hercules
(2014)
Okay, the man playing Hercules this time wasn't a bodybuilder, but he very well could've been. He is none other than The Rock, once a pro wrestler, just like Arnie's version of the character. Full circles, people. This 2014 version tells us that Hercules is not a god at all, but a regular dude. In fact, everything you know about him is a lie and he and his band of buddies are just a bunch of mercenaries. Is it any good? Well, it's not the good kind of good. It's the bad kind of good. Yeah, it is so bad it's awesome! (My quick and dirty review)