I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence, some sort of Hollywood collective subconscious or an example of Greek-like irony, but The Legend of Hercules is the first of two Hercules movies being released this year. This one stars The Twilight Saga‘s Kellan Lutz (who also played Poseidon in 2011’s Immortals) as the son of Zeus, and is directed by Renny Harlin (best known for ’80s and ’90s fare like A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Die Hard 2, as well as the John Cena action flick 12 Rounds).

Though it’s rated PG-13, The Legend of Hercules really suffers from being too cautious when it comes to showing violence and bloodshed. The opening scene sees the tyrant King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins) laying waste to an opposing king by way of a vicious choke slam followed by what appears to be a beheading. Only when we see the slain foe from above, his head is still attached and there is no blood to be seen. Similar discrepancies plague the entire film as swords are clearly shoved through bodies without the blade emerging from the other side. During a pivotal gladiatorial battle pitting Hercules and Sotiris (Liam McIntyre) against two Road Warrior-esque opponents, there are quick cutaways just before the combatants meet their demise in a pit of spears. So little blood is shown in this movie that it seems like the filmmakers were going for a PG rating.

Photo by Simon Varsano.

That being said, the fight scenes are the only saving grace here. The acting is uninspired, the tyranical motifs are heavy handed and the special effects often look more like a made-for-TV movie than a theatrical release. However, when Hercules gradually begins to realize his Godlike powers and the 3-D effects are at their best, his battles out of slavery and attempts to overthrow his stepfather from power are quite a sight. But a few spectacular fight scenes aren’t enough to make this movie live up to its legendary moniker. So we’ll just have to wait and see if The Rock is able to topple his competition when he takes over the role of this demigod in Hercules: The Thracian Wars this summer.