Hercules in the Underworld (1994)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Fresh and Exciting

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is the fourth pilot TV movie that jump-started the "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" TV series, where Hercules (Kevin Sorbo), now married with children, goes on a quest to save a village from an evil presence coming from underground, which turns out to be a portal to the Underworld.The plot of the movie goes at a fast pace and is action-packed, full of Hercules vs. bad guys scenes and also full of adventures in a host of settings, including the plagued village, Hercules' home, the forests, Tarturus and the Elysian Fields. In addition to seeing the excitement of Hercules' unending adventures, there are also a nice touch of dramatic and heartfelt moments between Hercules and his family, mysterious suspense surrounding the cunning centaur and the unforgiving coldness of Hera's evil ways. The New Zealand countryside setting is refreshing and the costumes are colorful and vibrantly done. The music score by Joseph LoDuca is very catchy and the acting is pretty spot-on, with a good dose of humor, though I don't quite get why Hades, God of the Underworld, is portrayed as a semi-geeky character wearing a white toga - not menacing or frightening at all!Overall, it's another fun Hercules TV movie - good action and adventures!Grade B

Hercules, now married to Deianeira (Tawny Kitaen) and father to three kids, is asked for help by a young woman (Marley Shelton) whose village is endangered by a portal to the underworld that has opened up there. Despite Deianeira's misgivings about Hercules leaving with the pretty blonde, he goes anyway. I don't want to spoil what happens next but the title of the movie should be a dead giveaway.This is the fourth of the Kevin Sorbo Hercules TV movies. It takes place years after the last movie since Hercules and Deianeria are not only married here but have three children. Michael Hurst has two parts in this one but neither is Iolaus. He's sporting a black wig or dye job at the beginning in a brief scene and then later he's unrecognizable under makeup playing Charon. Old school wrestling fans might enjoy seeing Jorge Gonzalez (aka Giant Gonzalez/El Gigante) as a big brute Hercules is forced to fight twice. Cliff Curtis plays a centaur that tries to rape Deianeira. This was an early role for Marley Shelton. Anthony Quinn is good as always. An enjoyable TV movie, about on par with the other entries in the series. Less humor than usual, though.

In this fourth made for TV movie that preceded the series, Hercules (Kevin Serbo) now married with children to Deianeira (Tawny Kitaen), is summoned once again by towns-person this time to beat a boxer. A while later, he goes on a quest with Iole, a maiden who supposedly steals men away from their wives, to save her people by going to Hades.. A jealous Deianeira when she can't dissuade for from his sense of duty, gives him a "cloak of Faithfulness" instead. There's more to it than that but I'm not about to spoil it, just now that the best parts of this one are in the first 10 minutes and the last 30 or so. This is my second favorite of the five that were made before the actual show (which was better than them all) My Grade: B

Of the first four Hercules movies that preceded the television series, this is easily my favorite. Hercules must save a town from an opening to Hades. Along the way, he faces several temptations and a slew of monsters. But that's not his greatest challenge. Deianeira has been killed and Hercules must find her while he's in Hades and bring her back to the land of the living.These Hercules movies aren't about great acting or deep plot lines. Don't watch them expecting Academy Award winning material. These movies are about having fun. And Hercules in the Underworld delivers fun. From Hercules' battle with the giant Eryz the Boxer to his taking on zombies in the underworld, it's pure eye-candy filled entertainment. The special effects are quite good given the limited television budget. It's easy to see Sam Raimi's (Executive Producer) influence on the special effects. Many of creatures, etc. are used by Raimi in his Evil Dead movies.Kevin Sorbo is the perfect television Hercules. He plays the character with tongue firmly in cheek. He's big enough to be believable and he's athletic enough to pull it off. The supporting cast is, for the most part, adequate enough in their roles. The exception is the most experienced actor of the bunch - Anthony Quinn. He just seems so out of place that I'm glad wasn't used in the regular series.