User reviews

I'm shocked to see this movie with a rating below 7. As a big Disney fan, I'll go out on a limb and say this is one Disney's top 5. There isn't a Disney movie out there with wit as sharp as this one's with much of it probably lost on the audience guessing by the rating given to this movie.

"Meg" definitely emerges as my all-time favorite female Disney role. Breaking from tradition, her character is not all that lady-like in her biting wit and sarcasm, but it works, serving to make the movie funny and her character lovable despite working with questionable motives.

The set-up and plot is typical for the movie but the script, animation, and music are most original AND good. IF I had to register a complaint, I would say that it's perpetual humor kept the movie from being emotionally wrenching. However, this movie remains one of the most entertaining I've seen. 8.5/10

I have seen many Disney movies, animated and not, and this one has more action than most, has no cute animals and is more humorous (ala Aladdin) than a typical Disney movie--Pixar films not included. This one also has a male lead (no princesses). If you are looking for typical Disney fare, then you may not appreciate this one. We enjoyed it thoroughly--from 4 to 40 years of age, male and female.

As for all the criticism regarding the liberties Disney took with Greek mythology, get a grip. I love Greek mythology too but hey, IT'S FICTION! It's not historical fact. Even the ancient tales themselves are not consistent, containing contradictions. There were many authors. But the characters are interesting, and Disney used some of them to create a good story for kids about an outcast looking for his place in life. It also explores what makes a hero a true hero (perhaps the more useful lesson of the movie). Yes, it's a shame they took so many liberties with this picture but it still encourages interest in Greek myth. Don't believe me? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were not historically accurate either but they got kids interested in the Old Masters!

8 / 10

The plot of the movie was very interesting, a very innovative Disney movie. The storyline was well-written, so interesting. The characters were very interesting and well-developed. The location of the movie was amazing, they portrayed ancient Greece, really well. Also, the theme of the movie, "Ancient Greek mythology" was very interesting and it was portrayed really well. There were some funny and iconic scenes. It was an enjoyable movie, that I would definitely watch again and again. In my opinion, it's one of the most innovative and most interesting films, by Disney. Moreover, the design of the movie and the effects were very well edited. Last but not least, I can't wait for the live adaption of the movie!

I think this film is wonderful. It is sheer entertainment for kids and hilarious for adults.

I first watched this movie age 7, and i loved it...now i watch it again age 14 and I'm howling with laughter. The 'You wanna buy a sundial?' sequence renders me unable to breathe for laughter, whilst when i was younger it got not so much as a giggle.

As with all Disney films, the jokes are for the 'big kids' and the entertainment value is for the little ones.

This film has been criticized for not staying true to Greek Mythology. My response is, it doesn't matter. This a witty, sarcastic and enjoyable film. Accuracies play no purpose.

The characters are wonderful, particularly Phil and Hades. Also, Megara provides a feisty, totally non 'princessy' female character, which is wonderful!

Overall - 8/10

My God is this movie totally saved by James Wood interpretation of the excellent writing for the superb character, impossibly well animated and perfectly designed Hades. Every second he's onscreen, the movie is at the level of 10 out of 10 with nothing better ever created by Disney... but when he's not...

The rest happens. And it's fine. Hercules and his story and arc is fine, although it does has clear and obvious mistakes/stupidities about Hercules powers and his arc, but overall, it's ok.

What's not ok is the music. The songs are just impossibly bad and totally unnecessary. The movie would've been shorter and better without them. It's ok though, we got Hades and that made it all worthwhile.

This is possibly my favorite Disney movie ever. With a razor-sharp wit, perfect comic timing and a fresh plot that transcends most other Disney fairy tales, this one's definitely a keeper.

You'll be enchanted right from the first number, in which the five Muses (from Greek mythology) set the stage of ancient Greece in a powerhouse gospel number which gives a whole new meaning to a Greek chorus. Recalling the three ladies in Little Shop of Horrors or Motown groups like the Supremes, the Muses appear randomly throughout the movie to narrate the story of Hercules with jazzy musical numbers that you'll be humming for days. The songs (by Alan Menken) are certainly a twist from the classic Disney musical, but there's enough variety to create a great, well-rounded musical. The writing is the wittiest in any Disney movie ever, with constant in-jokes and hilarious references to Greek mythology to reward the amateur scholar. The lyrics, too, are witty and full of tricky rhyme schemes that must have been a doozy to write but play out perfectly on screen. (You'll be flat-out awed by how many things rhyme with the phrase "gospel truth".)

Another of the highlights is the heroine, Megara or Meg. She's in no way a typical Disney princess. She's sassy, sexy, cynical and dangerous - and more winning by far than any warbling Cinderella or whiny little mermaid. The villain, Hades, is also a fun, witty character, although plenty dangerous in his own right.

Of course liberties have been taken with Greek mythology. The dysfunctional Olympian family has been cleaned up (No more Zeus having affairs or Hera trying to kill people) and the story has little in it of the original Greek legend. Instead, it's really an archetype, a modern retelling of all the Greek legends at once. Appearances are made by the Muses, the Hydra, satyrs, the Fates, Pegasus, the Titans, Narcissus, and of course all of the Olympian gods. Scholars may take offense, but since legends evolve and are to be taken with a grain of salt anyway, I didn't have a problem with it.

Yes, it's cheesy, just like other Disneys. But when nobody else is around, there's no resisting the corn. The third act is absolutely heart-wrenching, and even if it's over-the-top, it never truly goes over the top, and the constant bombarding of wit keeps things from getting too touchy-feely. Besides, tied together with a golden Disney score, who couldn't resist a dose of adventure, heartache, redeeming love, and most of all, heroism? Just let yourself be carried away to ancient Greece and you'll forget the movie's problems in a Pelyponnesian minute. As the Muses would say, that's the gospel truth.

First of all, there are a lot of things I like about this movie. The animation, in general, is very nice to look at, and Charlton Heston's narration is very satisfying. And it is one of the funnier Disney movies with a witty and funny script. More pluses are a genius turn from Danny DeVito as the hilarious Phil, and a wonderfully sleazy James Woods as the hot-headed villain Hades( a great villain, might I add?)Rip Torn also has fun as Zeus, especially when his statue came to life. The incidental music is lovely as well. However, there are a few negatives. Hercules himself, both child and adult, is a little bland, but Meg manages to establish herself as one of the best female Disney characters. Also, there isn't much of a story. The prove-you're- a-hero formula was a little unoriginal for me. The biggest minus was the rather dull songs by Alan Menken. The songs, especially "Zero to Hero" were a real disappointment, as Menken had so much better work before this, namely Beauty and the Beast. However, Michael Bolton's rendition of Go the Distance(the only song I had no problem with)was a joy to behold, as was "I won't say I'm in love". It wasn't a good idea turning gospel, should've stayed with the classical. However, despite the flaws, I did enjoy Hercules, which is a 7/10. Bethany Cox

"Hercules" is a cracking Disney film and for once it's not just for the kids. The animation is more like the "old-school" Disney, before the cute, big-eye syndrome and the characters are hugely entertaining. It has sly humour and in-jokes, but what sets it apart are the songs; soul, RNB, jazz and not a drippy sugar-song in sight. Quality entertainment!

Though 'Hercules (1997)' struggles to provide even one truly great song, the film is a colourful and enjoyable adaptation of Greek mythology. Its highlight is probably Hades, the easily enraged god of the underworld who's brilliantly voiced by a fast-talking and scene-chewing James Woods. The movie is mostly light-hearted entertainment; it has an underlying message, but it isn't as focused upon as in some of Disney's other fare. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Sometimes, you just want your animated musicals to be fun. After a somewhat slow start, the movie picks up the pace and is engaging right until its finish. It also features a few well-achieved and, even, exciting set-pieces. It's a solid entry in the Disney archives. 7/10

Oh my gosh I can't believe that people are complaining about this movie. It is amazing with great art, jazzy music and awesome characters. I am 14 and first saw this movie at 5. I liked the movie then and absolutely love it now.

I love the songs and even though it is not true to mythology, so what?? It's a movie so get over it!! Shesh!! This movie has got heaps of bad reviews but has anybody looked at the good ones?? The characters in this movie are great. Hercules is great and Phil adds some laughs. The villains in this story add soo much humor. Hades, Pain and Panic add soo many laughs and James Woods is perfect for Hades who is one of the best villains yet!! Megara (or Meg) has to be the best heroine from all the Disney movies. For one she is not looking for love, is independent (she can tie her own sandals and everything) and can stand up to her boss. She doesn't let anyone push her around. I think that Susan Egan did Meg's voice perfectly.

Honestly I just want to say that this movie is great for both adults and children and the songs are unforgettable.If you haven't seen go to the video shop and rent it! You wont be sorry!!

No, it's not accurate to the original Greek myth of Heracles, but that isn't what keeps this film from being much good.

Hercules (1997) is a part of the second half of the oft-praised Disney Renaissance, a second golden age which ran from the release of The Little Mermaid in 1989 roughly until the release of Tarzan in 1999. Fans usually split this period into two parts: we have the Big Four from 1989 to 1994 (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King), called such because they not only innovated and revitalized Disney animation after the roughly two decade dark age following Walt Disney's death in 1966, but they were also major hits at the box office. The second half starts with the artistic misfire that was Pocahontas, a visually stunning but soulless film obviously made with the Academy Awards in mind. It was at this point that the "renaissance formula" began to become more obvious and stale. Yes, a few of the films were good (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan), but most were bland and safe wastes of time.

Hercules is as safe as these films got. I think only Fantasia 2000 (1999) was more of a disappointment in taking chances. The main character, his "I Want" song, and the supporting characters are all dull. The color scheme is wretched, just a potpourri of clashing neon colors competing for your attention. The whole movie feels like a less entertaining version of Aladdin (1992) honestly. The only redeeming elements are the hilarious villain Hades and the love interest Meg's song, "I Won't Say I'm in Love."

I'm glad others find merit in it, but for me, it's only a mildly pleasant mess.

The movie was ahead of it's time in terms of production values for an animated movie (visual effects, art direction, action and most importantly humor and heart). The characters were also very interesting especially the amazing performance of Hades. My only grip was that we never saw Hades use his powers in a fight vs Hercules. He is in the top 3 Greek Gods along with Zeus and Poseidon. I remove one star for this and also because even though the film is its own creation the historical inaccuracies were so damn many (I am Greek btw). Nevertheless the movie is one of the best Disney animated movies for sure.

Released in 1997, Hercules was Disney's animated (and very loose) take on Greek mythology, specifically the story of hero, and son of Zeus, Heracles. The film did well both at the box-office and with audiences, though it wasn't quite the Aladdin or Lion King-sized hit Disney was aiming for.

After the relatively grown-up and sober The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, this was clearly an attempt by Disney to scale things back a tad and deliver a fun, light-hearted and colorful animated film with enough familiar tropes, catchy songs and pop culture references to keep younger viewers, in particular, entertained. The art style was inspired by Greek vase paintings and psychedelic caricatures from the 1960's and this gives the film its own unique look. Music-wise, the film attempts an Aladdin-esque eclectic stylistic clash: that movie mixed jazz with a Middle Eastern setting and this one brings gospel music to Ancient Greece.

Plot-wise, we see Hercules (Tate Donovan) being brought into the world as a god on Mount Olympus before being denied his divinity by Hades (James Woods), god of the underworld, who turns him into a mortal so he can eventually bring back the Titans unchallenged and win the battle against Zeus. Hercules is raised by humans on Earth and, after he finds out his true identity, he gets the help of satyr Philoctetes (Danny DeVito) in order to master his significant strength and become a true hero worthy of being a god.

Along the way, Hercules meets Megara (Susan Egan), who becomes his love interest while, at the same time, being bound by a deal she made with Hades, who is actively trying to render Hercules powerless for good. You would expect a Hercules film to focus primarily on the legendary 12 Tasks but these are thrown in there at random moments and, instead, everything is just one big build-up to Hades getting his way then facing off against Hercules. It works but it all feels a bit too familiar at times as the film follows the typical Disney template whereby a character feels he doesn't belong somewhere, sings about it, then somehow wins in the end.

This is a visually appealing film, though the fully CGI Hydra hasn't aged particularly well. The cast is excellent (Woods' Hades steals every scene he's in) and the songs, while not too memorable save for one or two, are pleasant enough. It sometimes tries a little too hard to be cute or witty and it's missing one good villain song (see Hercules: The Animated Series for that one) but, overall, this is an enjoyable Disney outing.

It may never reach the heights of Aladdin but Hercules manages to bring back an element of goofy fun after the lackluster Pocahontas, and that is definitely something to celebrate. While it would have been more interesting to see an actually faithful adaptation of the story, this is a harmless, entertaining animated feature the whole family can have a good time with.

Likable stuff.

Now, I'll admit that the music is not half bad. But as for the people who say that it's not important that it be true to the mythology, that's not what us myth-lovers are complaining about. At least for me. I don't know about the rest of them. I am complaining that with this movie Disney took a great story and Christianized it. They corrupted it, they took all of the decency out of it. This movie is to the myth what saccharine is to sugar. And I say that not only because artificial sweetener will never be better than the real thing, but because this movie is in fact nauseatingly saccharine in its "adaptation". Just a few ways in which this movie was Christianized and had all of the punch taken out of the real story: for one, Hera is NOT Hercules' mother, she is the one trying to kill him. But of course, in a Disney movie we have to have the happy family, right? And since we need a new villain, hm, let's see...why not just pin it on the lord of the underworld? Who, I might add, has no demonic connotations in Greek myth and whose only appearance in the Hercules story is when Hercules is tasked to bring Cerberus from Hades and back to the king alive. In the end of the real story, Hercules is driven mad by Hera and kills his wife, "Meg", and his entire family. This kind of interpretation makes me sick because it's just another example of society thinking that children can't handle anything remotely serious. But, to end on an up note, the music was catchy.

Although I know I have heaped praise on several other Disney films...Hercules stands out as my favourite among them all. After this movie the Disney features once again seemed to slip downhill. However I can watch this movie again and again, it has a spectacular Greek chorus, gospel type score, which will ring in your head for days (and you will like it!). The characters are all likeable, even the villain and it is absolutely hilarious!

I have never understood the panning this film got from Disney fans, as I have never comprehended what there is to dislike. The animation is beautifully done, although it is done in the style of Greek art, which may not be to everyone's taste (very similar situation to Sleeping Beauty which was disliked by some because it was animated in the style of a medieval tapestry), but it works wonderfully for the film.

Take a chance and watch it...and when you're done watching it for the sixteenth time, go out and buy the soundtrack!

It was a fun adventure that I enjoyed. I loved the specific animation style that was similar to Greek art around that time. I had a few chuckles but I was expecting it to be a little more funny than it actually was. But I did have fun watching it!

wow! This movie was really a pleasant surprise! I went to the theater expecting another below-par Disney film (like Pocahontas and Hunchback), but it turned out to be the most funny and enjoyable one since Aladdin (The Lion King was good, but there's just no contest between Timon & Pumbaa and the Genie )! And a good laugh from a Disney cartoon is just what i needed. You just must see this movie!

Very fun, warm, engaging. Maybe there were too many singing bits. Also, Meg is so overrated and I'm not sure what does Hercules see in her. All in all very fun to watch, definitely not bad.

Call me bias against Disney, but I really enjoyed this film.

The main reason I like it? Megra and Hades, the 'villians' are a new type of character, sarcastic, brash and so damn funny the two characters are amazing. I really like the new heroine, Megra is so cool. "I'm a big strong girl, I tie my own sandals and everything." She has one of the best songs in the movie, but all the songs are really brilliant! This is an under-rated movie. I LOVE IT! I would recommend it to anyone, so what if it's not quite representative of the 'real' story, it's Disney! Hope you enjoy it too!

I like this film, even had the PS1 game back in the day. I like the story in general and for a cartoon it's a really good effort.

I always feel like this is part of this small window of Disney animated movies that gets dropped from the public consciousness. There's that golden age of Lion King and Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast etc. Those early 90s movies that have earned legendary status. Pocahontas is problematic but then in comes Toy Story and the birth of Pixar and maybe that's what derailed these. But I just watched this and another from the same period and they're amazing and really going in fun new ways and I appreciate it. Meg is an amazing Disney "Princess" though that feels like the wrong thing for her. She's fiery and strong and I Loved it about her. Woods as Hades? Awesome. The music is great. The story about what it means to be a good person, to act in charity and not in hopes of reward is poignant and likely forever relevant.

Absolutely worth watching and thank you Disney+ for making it easy to check out. Don't sleep on these late 90s/2000s movies!

It is certainly not the strongest movie of the Disney Renaissance (or of Disney movies in general. But what it lacks in story and a main character, it makes up for with a few very good songs and one of the best Disney villains! I do recommend it for Disney and animation fans, though, it is unlikely to become your favorite animated movie.

Today to my 23 years I saw this movie with very low expectation since as a kid Disney did not steal my heart and I have to say that I love it. The songs, the plot, the characters, spectacular, I have given 10/10 and exceeded my expectations as an adult, I do not want to imagine how I would have felt if I had seen it in its premiere, when I was just a child, I definitely love it. Until the moments "The best movie of Disney", in my opinion.

Hercules may not be as amazing as many other Disney movies, but it's definitely a winner! It's funny, has charm, and adds cute romance. Hercules and Meg are adorable together and are one of my all time favorite Disney couples! I loved how sassy Meg was compared to other Disney Princesses. It was refreshing. Hercules was sweet and made me smile. The voice acting was terrific and the plot was great! And the music was fantastic! Overall, a wonderful Disney film.

1st watched 3/28/2009 – 4 out of 10 (Dir-John Musker & Ron Clements): OK Disney animated feature about the son of the great Zeus and his silly adventures. This a kind of wannabe A-list Disney movie with it's attempts at songs, sidekicks and silly romances but it just doesn't quite hit the mark despite James Woods doing a good job with the Hades role. The movie is about the birth of the young boy to Zeus and his wife, his loss of his godly position at the hands of Hades, and his attempt to become a mortal hero to win back his spot with the other Gods at Olympus. His road to hero-dom isn't easy as he's a pretty clumsy goof at first, but he's given a hero trainer voiced by Danny Devito who's kind of a short devil-like character(why he trained hero's I don't know??). He becomes a hero but supposedly still misses the heart necessary to get back to Olympia. This is gained, of course, because he goes googly-eyed over a women who is one of Hades's helpers and does stuff to get her out of his clutches(yeah I know, this doesn't make sense but it's Disney not Shakespeare). The movie is narrated by a 60's like Gospel group, who end every song with "the gospel truth." I'm sure this didn't make the religious right very happy about this movie(but they never really made movies for them anyway—but don't tell 'em). All in all, the movie is watchable but not the kind of Disney fare that we've come to expect from them. The same formula just not executed as well as some of their other movies.