Hercules and Iolaus decide to go off on one more adventure together before Iolaus gets married. They go to help a village under attack from man-hating Amazons in league with Hercules' evil stepmother Hera. First of five made-for-TV movies that would lead to the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys TV series. The series, and this movie, has its good and bad qualities but I enjoyed it back when it first aired and still enjoy it today. Anyone complaining about historical accuracy on a movie or show about Hercules needs to switch to decaf. This is a fantasy show with action, adventure, humor, romance, and sex appeal. The fight scenes are often slapstick and the humor can be very broad. It was filmed on location in New Zealand so there's lots of beautiful location footage. The sets and costumes are nice. The special effects are alright for TV but this is the '90s so don't expect a lot, particularly from the CGI.
Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst are both natural fits for their characters. Sorbo's Hercules lightens up some in the series from the way he is here. Both he and Hurst's Iolaus are fleshed out more as the series progresses. But the basic dynamic is the same. Anthony Quinn plays Zeus, a role he played in all of the movies but did not play on the show. Lucy Lawless, who would go on to fame as Xena, a spin-off of Hercules that surpassed its parent show, plays one of the Amazons. She's gorgeous and has a natural screen presence. It's easy to see a future star in her. Roma Downey, of Touched By An Angel fame, has what is probably her sexiest role here. Her cleavage is a work of art. Sex appeal is a big part of this movie and the show. The women (and the men) often showed quite a bit of skin. Rose McIver, just a little kid here, has a small but cool part.
This is a nice start to a colorful, fun series. A little corny but no harm in that. It's good old-fashioned escapism. Don't take it too seriously and you should enjoy it.
