Hércules e as Amazonas

When I was eleven, in 1994, television was my life and books on the Greek myths were my obsession. I must have seen this episode five times back in '94. Each time, I felt very sad by the end. It was a great story, and "Hera" looked so evil & chilling. I won't ruin it by telling you the end. But the story is basically of a town Hercules has to save from constant attacks from Amazon women. Sounds boring, but trust me it isn't, it has a lot of fighting action! Lucy Lawless (who later appears in the "Hercules" spinoff "Xena: Warrior Princess") guest stars here. It is also an honor to have the infamous Anthony Quinn playing the role of Zeus.

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) returns home to visit his mother Alcmene (Jennifer Ludlam) and to the wedding of his best friend Iolaus (Michael Hurst). Out of the blue, the villager Pithus (Lloyd Scott) arrives asking for help to Hercules to defeat monsters that are attacking his distant village. Hercules travels with Iolaus to fight the monsters and soon they learn that they are indeed Amazons controlled by the evil Hera.

"Hercules and the Amazon Women" (1994) is still a delightful adventure after almost thirty years. Yesterday I saw this entertaining film again, which is based on mythological gods and demigods, and it has not aged. Even the special effects are still good for a TV movie. Kevin Sorbo is excellent in this role. Unfortunately, these Hercules' films have been only released on VHS in Brazil. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Hércules e as Amazonas" ("Hercules and the Amazons")

I have to laugh when I hear someone complain about the fact that the costumes are not "historically accurate." This is a tale of Herecles, for gods sake. No one was there! They could have all been naked.

The dialog is certainly misogynistic. It was pretty pitiful writing, but they made more than one dig about women. Apparently, like doctors introducing porn to make it seem legitimate, they feel using these tired clichés serve a greater purpose.

Anthony Quinn played Herecles' father, Zeus, and was the most interesting character in the movie.

Herecles managed to have an imaginative response to the women as they sought to rape and pillage.

I rewatched this after remembering it from my childhood and I loved it. Hercules and Iolaus are total bosses, strolling through the world without a single care, kicking asses, men admiring them and women falling for them. Usually I despise the strong powerful female garbage they cram into every modern movie, but back then this was at least portrayed as a ridiculous caricature in the form of the Amazons. The movie basically preaches a positive message of unity between the sexes, instead of division.

This is excellent beginning to the best version of Hercules. Kevin Sorbo is perfect for the role and gives a great performance. There is wall to wall action here and a great story to match. I recommend it to everyone. A very high thumbs up on this one.