The Legend of Hercules

The Legend of Hercules is currently streaming in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Stan, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and Starz Apple TV Channel, and it earns its set pieces rather than just delivering them. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 1,408 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Kellan Lutz's performance is the throughline that holds the set pieces together. Available now on Amazon Prime Video — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

The Legend of Hercules arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The Legend of Hercules understands that stakes only matter if you care who is at risk. In Ancient Greece 1200 B.C., a queen succumbs to the lust of Zeus to bear a son promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship. But this prince, Hercules, knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete, who has been promised to his own brother. Kellan Lutz and Liam McIntyre lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2014. The geography of every set piece in The Legend of Hercules is legible, which is rarer in the genre than it should be. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For viewers who want their entertainment to move fast and not waste a scene, The Legend of Hercules respects your time. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Kellan Lutz is the obvious draw, but the supporting cast gives the action the context it needs to land. The action holds up because the character work underneath it never lets up.