History Film / Hercules2014

* ArchNemesisDad: [[spoiler: Cotys, as it turns out, is his own daughter's worst enemy. In order to usurp her husband's throne, he had his son-in-law murdered and threatened her son--his ''own grandson''--so she'd go along with his plans.]]
* ArcherArchetype: Atalanta. She tends to be a bit haughty and sharp-tongued, but she's got the team's back when it comes down to it.

* FiveManBand: The five fighting characters from Hercules' team fit this, with Hercules as TheLeader and the one who brought the team together, Autolycus as the pragmatic rogue whose views conflict with Hercules' the most, Amphiaraus as the {{Seer|s}} who serves as the voice of wisdom, Tydeus as the PintSizedPowerhouse who can single-handedly break through a shield wall formation, and Atalanta as the [[TheArcher bow-wielding]] ActionGirl of the team. Iolaus serves as SixthRanger, being the latest addition to the team and the one who takes the non-action role of a [[TheBard storyteller]].

* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Atalanta is TheArcher of the team (however, she still can hold her own in melee since her bow has blades on it). Autolycus subverts this--while he does fight in melee more than Atalanta, he very clearly prefers to stay back and use throwing knives if at all possible.

** It also dropped Atalanta's sometimes-HopelessSuitor Meleager, along with Atalanta being one of Artemis' priestesses, in favor of her being an Amazon.

* BreakThemByTalking: Both used and inverted, as Iolaus' role in Hercules group, to basically continue telling heavily embellished stories to their enemies and allies, causing enemies to be demoralised by Hercules' legendary feats and to give courage to his allies.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: Hercules is originally contracted to put down a rebellion lead by Rhesus. [[spoiler:Rhesus is captured an hour in, after which it is revealed that he's been GoodAllAlong, and Cotys is the real threat to Thrace.]]

*** A case of AdaptionalWimp as the real-life Thracians were well-known for their warrior prowess.

** Tydeus was a cannibal that loved to eat the brains of his foes. In the movie, he has a more tragic background and lacks this trait completely.

* TheBerserker: Tydeus is a feral warrior that fights with frantic self-abandon.

* LighterAndSofter: Compared to its source material

* {{Kaiju}}: The Nemean Lion, the Lernaean Hydra and the Erymanthian Boar, all iconic giant monsters from classical mythology.

* LetsYouAndHimFight: The villagers that Cotys' forces arrive to protect attack him when he arrives. Hercules wonders why, but its attributed to Rhesus "bewitching" them. [[spoiler:It was probably because Cotys was the real villain.]]

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Most of the fantasy elements of Hercules' journey are dismissed as exaggeration, however Amphiarus‘ visions are left more ambiguous. He could be having divine visions or simply hallucinating. Similarly Hercules' immense strength and several other (apparently divine) events in the movie are never explained either way.

* MagicalRealism: Most of the fantastic elements are dismissed as exaggerations, misconceptions, or outright lies. Yet Amphiaraus's visions of the future are stated to always come true and Hercules displays strength far beyond what is humanly possible. The climax also features what may be intervention of the gods or simple coincidence: [[spoiler:The statue of Hera, established early as the protector of Thrace, [[BoltOfDivineRetribution crashes down upon and kills its usurper,]] and during Hercules' triumphant moment, thunder and lightning appear. Perhaps Zeus is giving his son a celebratory light show? Then again, Cotys did curse out Hercules's family, and Hera is the goddess of marriage. Cursing out your patron goddess' realm isn't exactly a good idea.]]

* NemeanSkinning: Hercules wears the skin of the Nemean lion (or ''a'' lion at least, since that story was possibly made up in-universe: it's left ambiguous in the film).

** The same can't be said for the other characters though, with Atalanta being changed from an acolyte of Artemis into an Amazon, although she does utter a prayer to Artemis right before a battle.

* ShroudedInMyth: The stories of Hercules' Labors are heavy implied to be a fanciful exaggeration of more mundane but still heroic deeds.

* SoldierVsWarrior: Hercules and his band compared to the Thracian Army. Hercules' group fight mostly for personal gain, make a living out of it, are individually more powerful than small groups of soldiers, can work together to defeat larger numbers, and are better for situations that require small, versatile groups. Yet, they cannot defeat the superior numbers and tactics (specifically the shield wall) of the highly disciplined Thracian army who follow the orders of their king, regardless of how corrupt he is. They can also use their tactics to defeat the superior number of a more unorganized army.
* SpikedWheels: The group's big chariot provides a variation. It has folded blade mounted on its sides, instead of on the wheels.

** [[spoiler: Cotys]], eager to end the war, orders his troops (which almost entirely consists of farmers) to intercept Rhesus' army. If not for Hercules and his friends, they would have certainly been slaughtered. Even with their aid, the army still takes terrible losses.

** [[spoiler: Cotys ''again'', who keeps urging his soldiers to move forward and kill Hercules, even through at least ''two walls of fire'', and when a ''giant statue'' is falling towards him.]]

* FiveManBand: The five fighting characters from Hercules' team fit this, with Hercules as TheLeader and the one who brought the team together, Autolycus as the pragmatic rogue whose views conflict with Hercules' the most, Amphiaraus as the {{Seer|s}} who serves as the voice of wisdom, Tydeus as the PintSizedPowerhouse who can single-handedly break through a shield wall formation, and Atlanta as the [[TheArcher bow-wielding]] ActionGirl of the team. Iolaus serves as SixthRanger, being the latest addition to the team and the one who takes the non-action role of a [[TheBard storyteller]].

* BladeOnAStick: Amphiaraus uses a spear. Also common to the era.

* HollywoodTactics: Averted. The movie actually uses fairly realistic strategy for the time period, with the heavily armored infantry forming shield walls and marching in lockstep rather than charging, and the archers firing as a massed unit.

* WhipOfDominance: General Sitacles' weapon of choice is a menacing bone whip, which complements his image as a tyrannical warlord.

* WhipItGood: Sitacles' weapon of choice is a menacing bone whip.

** [[spoiler: Cotys ''again'', who keeps urging his soldiers to move forward and kill Hercules, when a ''giant statue'' is falling towards him.]]