Hercules the Avenger (1965)

Heavily "influenced" by Hercules in the Haunted World, 23 February 2005

Hercules (Reg Park) sets out on a quest to save his son's soul from the evil Earth Goddess Gia. He must battle all sorts of monsters, get past numerous obstacles, and resist temptations if he is to save his son. What Hercules doesn't know is that while he is away, Gia sends Antaius (her rotten son) to impersonate Hercules. Antaius reigns over the people as a cruel, heartless king. Can Hercules get back in time to save the people?

It's not that Hercules the Avenger is a bad movie, it's just not very original. If you've seen Mario Bava's Hercules in the Haunted World (a much superior movie), then you've seen some of the best this movie has to offer. The similarities go beyond the obvious - Reg Park, a daunting quest, ocean voyages. etc. The similarities extend to actual set pieces. For example, in both films Hercules must traverse a rope over a boiling pit of lava. Another example, in both films Hercules must do battle with flying zombie type creatures. In addition, Lucidi copies some of Bava's style. The underground scenes in this movie are lit with the same colored gels used by Bava. The things taken from Hercules in the Haunted World were so obvious, I half expected to see Christopher Lee waiting for Hercules at the end of his journey.

According to IMDb, this was the last time Reg Park would play Hercules. Other than Steve Reeves, I think he was the best actor/body builder to play the role. But after taking one look at Park in Hercules the Avenger, I'm glad he gave it up. He looks terrible. By 1965, he was no longer the chiseled specimen as featured on the DVD cover. Instead, he looks more likely to be playing Bluto than Hercules.

With everything I've written being so negative, I'll finish by saying you could do far worse than Hercules the Avenger. The new Region 1 DVD (with Hercules and the Black Pirate a bonus) is probably as good as this movie ever looked.

5/10