Stars: Sean Astin, Timothy Dalton, Elizabeth Perkins, Paul Telfer

Summary: Hercules is the illegitimate son of the beautiful Alcmene, who was the object of the god Zeus's unwanted affections while waiting for her husband Amphitryon's return. Zeus's jealous wife Hera curses Hercules from the start, and he is rejected by his mother, who banishes him to the mountains along with his music teacher, Linus. Hercules is condemned by king Eurystheus to carry out 12 labours of repentance. These are executed with the strength and courage for which Hercules is known, and are charmingly accompanied by Hercules' self-styled bard, Linus.

A mini series for NBC, this reinterpretation of the myth of Hercules stars dark and brooding Paul Telfer as the title character, and an all-star supporting cast. Hercules is the illegitimate son of the beautiful Alcmene (Elizabeth Perkins, BIG), who was the object of the god Zeus's unwanted affections while waiting for her husband Amphitryon's (Timothy Dalton, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS) return. Zeus's jealous wife Hera curses Hercules from the start, and he is rejected by his mother, who banishes him to the mountains along with his music teacher, Linus (Sean Astin, LORD OF THE RINGS), where he encounters the nymph Deianeira. Later he is tricked into killing his two sons, as well as his nephews, and the unlucky hero, whose suicide is prevented by his godly father, is condemned by king Eurystheus to carry out 12 labours of repentance. These are executed with the strength and courage for which Hercules is known, and are charmingly accompanied by Hercules' self-styled bard, Linus.

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Not the egregious foul it seemed to be in cinemas, Disney's Hercules(1997) stands up as an entertaining spritzer of an animated feature. The continual peppering of in-jokes and cultural references becomes less irksome on the small screen. That there is no majesty or awe invested in the beloved Greek legends also seems less of an error. Also on the plus side is the bounciest Alan Menken music since Little Shop of Horrors. With Zeus's blood in his veins, young Hercules's amazing strength makes him an outcast (sorry, that still doesn't fly), so he trains with a satyr named Phil to become a hero. Along the way Herc meets Meg, a common mortal who falls hard for him. They are both against the jocular Hades, who has to destroy Hercules to take over Olympus. The hydra is the computer-animated set piece for this little number, a no-chance attempt to beat that wildebeest herd from The Lion King. --Keith Simanton

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2004
Release Date:	August 14, 2006
Runtime:	160 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C T D 10339
Keywords:	Action, General, Hercules, Tv, Adventure
Genre:	Action/Adventure