Kevin Sorbo made a household name for himself during the ninties with his take on the legendary Hercules. Anchor Bay has slowly been releasing the seasons one by one and have just unleashed the fourth of his journeys.
Hercules, for me anyways, is best remembered for Bruce campbell's role of Autolycus, who truly begins to shine in the fourth season. The series took a step towards more seriousness in the third season with the marriage and death of Hercule's wife but returned to sillyness in its fourth.
The season opens with Hercules battling a Giant upon a very familiar beanstalk. Moving forward we get to see the man of strength do crazy things such as dance! Possibly the most outlandish and yet also funniest of the season's episodes, Porkcules, has our intrepid hero being cast into a pig!
There was one episode that truly stood out among the pack as there always is, and that is Stranger in a Strange World. Here we get to see an alternate universe where everyone gets to play someone else for a change. Out of the entire season, this was easily my favorite, though other seasons have had better episodes.
Hercules was popular for a reason. It's easy on the eyes, has some truly funny moments and it features the amazing Bruce Campbell. This may not be the best season but it still has its moments.
The Disc:
Anchor Bay is one of the studios who always seem to have great looking releases. Their television offerings are limited somewhat by the original airing. Hercules comes in with its original 1:33:1 standard format. The look has stood the test of time with a good transfer. Audio on the set has been pumped up to a 5.1 Dolby Digital track that truly brings the action to life. This alone makes each episode a special event over repeats on cable.
Extras on the fourth season begin with Audio Commentary on several episodes from Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst and Eric Gruendemann. They must have had alot of fun making these audio tracks because there's so much fun here. While there's nothing of real substance here, there is some good stuff to be heard.
Next up are Interviews with Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, Paul Robert Coyle, Michael Levine, Hudson Leick and numerous others. Some of these are brilliant while others are pretty boring. Boo, why wasn't there more from Bruce Campbell, especially since he had a bigger role this season?
Next is probably my favorite extra in Bringing Monsters To Life at K.N.B. EFX Group which gives us all the gory details on how they created all the cool monsters. I have to give these guys props for making some really cool looking monsters.
Next are some Dailies from my favorite episode Stranger in a Strange Land. Just a raw look at what goes on in the everyday production of the filming and what the director sees before the final cut.
Finally there's a Still Gallery which offers up some captures from the set and of course Trailers.
bottom line:
Not the best season of the show, except for the expanded role of Bruce Campbell, but still a solid one for the series.
3.5 out of 5
By - Brian Gray
1/2
