Hercules & The Amazon Women Reviewed 2nd September 2001 [Sunday]
Hercules [Kevin Sorbo], the son of Zeus [Anthony Quinn], is summoned to save some desperate villagers from marauding beasts. Herc takes along his best buddy, Iolus [Michael Hurst], and they set off to save the day.
Our two heroes fall foul of a bunch of warlike Amazon women led by Lucy Lawless of all people! Ms Lawless went on to play the title role in the Hercules spin-off show, Xena: Warrior Princess . However, here she plays a different character, and even gets to do a scene with Anthony Quinn himself. A real Before They Were Famous moment!
Sorbo and Hurst look very young. Hell, even Quinn does - hard to think that this review is being written several months after his death. This made-for-TV film was released in 1994, and because it was successful the creator, Rob Tapert, managed to make a TV series out of it - Hercules: The Legendary Journeys .
Sad to say, this movie has very little to recommend it. Many of the most endearing thing about the series were added much later. For example, the infamous comedy disclaimer is missing. Sharp viewers will also note that Liz Friedman, later famous as a Producer of the TV show, is here listed as a lowly Production Assistant.
The storyline's conflict is the tired old war of the sexes cliche. The Amazons state Men can only dominate and kill - but that is how the Amazons live, the bloody hypocrites! There is lots of jaw-jaw, very little war-war. The climactic fight tries to create some tension by pitting Herc against his own love interest, Roma Downey [who is possessed by his evil stepmother Hera].
Yawn.
