Line #9 YMMV/Hercules2014


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: The ads for the film avoided any mention of it being based on [[ComicBook/HerculesTheThracianWars a comic book.]]
2	* CompleteMonster:
3	** [[AmbitionIsEvil King Cotys of Thrace]] is a power-hungry monarch who murdered his own son-in-law in order to [[TheUsurper take power]]. Cotys later gave Hercules the task of preparing an army for him which he could then use to fight Rhesus, a supposedly cruel rebel who had massacred several villages. It is revealed later on, however, that [[FalseFlagOperation Cotys himself had ordered those mass killings]], and that Rhesus himself was a revolutionary that Cotys shifted the blame to. Cotys later attempts to [[OffingTheOffspring murder his own daughter]] when he learns she has told Hercules the truth behind his rule, and means to [[TheCorrupter corrupt his grandson]] into becoming a cruel ruler to carry on his reign.
4	** [[AdaptationalVillainy King Eurystheus of Athens]] allegedly banished Hercules for murdering his own family. In reality, Eurystheus is a jealous ruler who had Hercules's wife and children torn apart by wolves and [[FrameUp framed him]] to ruin his reputation. Allying with King Cotys and sponsoring his razing of Thrace's villages to shift blame onto the rebel Rhesus, Eurystheus seeks to conquer Greece in bloody conquest with his cohort.
5	** [[InsaneAdmiral General Sitacles]] is King Cotys's thuggish military leader. Intent on seeing his king take Greece by bloodshed, Sitacles aids in his plot to take Thrace from the righteous Rhesus, at one point personally trying to [[BadBoss execute his own innocent scouts]] to cover up a rushed error.
6	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
7	** Amphiaraus, due to being one of the funniest character and being played by Creator/IanMcShane.
8	** Despite being what he is, John Hurt makes Cotys a very memorable villain. Joseph Fiennes likewise makes Eurystheus memorable. Had they been portrayed by any other actors, the two would have been one-note and not as memorable, ultimately being indistinguishable from other sword and sandal villains.
9	** Creator/RufusSewell's performance as Autolycus is one of the most memorable in the film.
10	** Creator/ChristopherFairbank as minor character Gryza.
11	** Joe Anderson as Phineas is also memorable, especially since, again his performance helps him from being a one-note character.
12	* HilariousInHindsight:
13	** The Rock would later play another superpowered demigod in an [[WesternAnimation/{{Moana}} animated film,]] brought to you by the same company that produced [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} another film starring Hercules.]]
14	** Tydeus is played by Norwegian actor Creator/AkselHennie, who also voiced teenage Hercules in the Norwegian dub of [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} the Disney version.]]
15	** Creator/IanMcShane in this film wants to die getting run through with a spear, only for it not to happen. He would ironically get his wish in Season 3 of ''Series/AmericanGods2017'', where Ian [=McShane's=] character Mr. Wednesday would die by [[LaserGuidedKarma getting run through with his own spear Gungnir by one of his past victims]].
16	* MagnificentBastard: Rhesus is a RebelLeader allegedly pillaging the Thracian countryside. In reality fighting against the evil King Cotys, Rhesus takes any means possible to defend his country, even setting up an ambush to kill Cotys' armed farmers fighting him. Defeated after a grueling battle, Rhesus reveals Cotys' true intentions to Hercules and helps the hero break free of their captor, fighting through Cotys' men to kill the vile king and save Greece.
17	* NarmCharm: The Rock's line, "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis I. Am. HERCULES!!]]" has this effect due to its overly-dramatic delivery. It becomes a real-life SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment\|s}} when you realize that Rock, according to an interview with Conan O'Brien, went so [[LargeHam over the top]] with that line that he ''literally blacked out'' when he was done screaming.
18	* SpecialEffectFailure:
19	** While the effects are better than the ''other'' [[Film/TheLegendOfHercules Hercules film]] (especially in regards with the lion which looks pretty sweet), they're still rather unconvincing when placed with human actors. Most noticeably during the fight with the hydra. Granted, once you realize the [[TallTale purpose of those creatures]], the effect comes off as a little less jarring.
20	** The wolves towards the end of the film look pretty unconvincing, especially compared to the Cerberus that appeared earlier in the film.
21	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
22	** This is a movie about Hercules that depicts his battles with famous monsters as nothing more than tall tales, rather than using them as major plot points.
23	** Despite the movie's pretext to {{Demythification}}, it doesn't commit to it, with Hercules' SuperStrength showing up at points where the movie needs an easy way out of a tight spot. This is especially notable, since the 2005 Hallmark miniseries portrayed it as being a CharlesAtlasSuperpower brought on by TrainingFromHell, but this later adaptation gives no such explanation for it.
24	* WTHCostumingDepartment: The sculpted muscles on Hercules's breastplate are smaller than the Rock's actual muscles.

Context YMMV / Hercules2014