Hercules-The Legendary Journeys
Season Three Boxed Set
(Anchor Bay Region 1 DVD)
(1997)
review by Head Cheeze

Having just watched a full season's worth of Xena served to prepare me for it's like-minded companion series, Hercules-The Legendary Journeys, but I don't know if it was the fact that I was all myth'd out, or that, for some reason, Xena just seemed smarter, but, ultimately, I didn't dig Hercules as much.

Kevin Sorbo plays the legendary strongman as a sort of Long Beach himbo who speaks in modern slang. It's the opposite of Xena's Lucy Lawless, who serves as something of the straight man (oh, get your minds out of the gutter!) to her jokey, modernised compatriots. In Hercules, it is he who dishes out the observational humour, while those around him wax mythological in ancient speak. Otherwise, the two series are pretty much the same, with our heroes engaging in various battles o' the week versus all manner of foes.. In this Season Three boxed set from Anchor Bay, Herc faces off against against pirates, dragons, mummies, and...well...marriage. He also loses a good friend (the somewhat poignant Not Fade Away), and is rescued by another (Xena and Gabby show up to save his hide in the episode Judgement Day!).

Over the course of 22 episodes, the series hits some hilarious peaks (The Green Eyed Monster) and some rather goofy and uninspired valleys (A Rock in a Hard Place), but, overall, it's pretty consistantly entertaining, and I'd probably have liked it a whole lot more if Xena wasn't a clearly superior spin on this concept. Hercules was first, but Xena seems to have refined and honed this series ideas into to a razor sharp point of inspired parody.

The boxed set from Anchor Bay features a host of extras, including commentary tracks from the cast and crew, behind-the-scenes interviews, Hercules Chronicles and Mythology, photo-galleries, bios, and more. It's a reasonably priced set that I'm sure fans of the series won't have any problem parting with their money to attain, but I would suggest novices either rent or buy the first season, because, quite frankly, I found myself lost on several occasions. I also think that some of the more dramatic elements of this set would have had greater impact on me had I a better knowledge of the characters instead of jumping into the third season cold.

Hercules, much like it's superior spin-off, is a witty poke at the far-too-serious fantasy genre, and fans of the series don't need me to tell them it's worth the purchase. However, those who have yet to experience either show may want to start at the beginning. I know I do!

Check out the official Hercules site, here!!