Hercules (1997)

At this point I have to wonder if the films in the latter half of the Disney Renaissance are considered as such more for their box office returns than for their artistic achievement. Once again, Disney cranks out a film that does a few things right and gets a few things wrong. The difference between this film and its two immediate traditionally animated predecessors is this: Hercules is pretty fun to watch.

The vile and treacherous Hades discovers a way to release the destructive Titans from their ocean prison and overthrow his brother Zeus. The only hang-up? His nephew Hercules needs to be out of the picture. Hades succeeds in banishing the infant to Earth and reducing him to demigod status but his minions fail to kill him. Years later, Hercules learns that he can join his parents on Mount Olympus if he becomes a true hero. As Hades’ plot draws nearer to fruition, plenty of opportunities arise for the young demigod to reach his full potential.

The highlight of this film is James Woods as Hades. His über-aware personality and self-deprecating sense of humor is a breath of fresh air. He is maniacal and powerful but also approachable. He is not consumed by evil, just bitter and carrying the mother of all chips on his shoulders. It’s usually a bad thing when the bad guy is a movie’s best character, but Hades will certainly make the film easier to sit through for any parents with a sense of humor.

The plot is pretty thin but it was a losing battle from the get-go. The mythological Hercules only featured in a series of short tales displaying his awesomeness. The character development and backstory feels understandably forced. Nice try Disney, but it didn’t work out so well this time. On top of it all, sticklers like myself are sure to get hung up on the many mythological liberties taken throughout.

The animation is inconsistent in quality at several times. For much of the film, the animation looks on par with Disney’s TV cartoon shows of the time- very flat, just about everything in focus, but very little by way of fine detail. Every now and again (mostly in epic battle sequences) Disney’s animators throw a little CGI into the mix. After all these years, they still don’t blend well. Is it nit-picky? Maybe a little bit but animated films are Disney’s bread and butter. You’d think they’d have solved this problem with a little R&D by now.

Hercules lags a bit in places and it’s not very engaging for adults (outside of Hades and the flirtatious, suggestive Megara). For the kids though? There is plenty of colorful action and screwball antics from the supporting cast to keep them entertained. It’s not quite good enough to be middle-of-the-pack Disney, but Hercules rises above many of the near-misses in the Disney Vault.

RATING: 3.25 out of 5

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

I hadn’t seen this movie in quite a while- it took babysitting my younger cousins for me to break it out and give it a review, and I’m glad I did. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was one of my favorite movies as a child and after seeing it I would wonder what certain things would look like if I were very tiny. I would also look for people in my Froot Loops and Cheerios, but that’s just because I’m a nerd.

Combining some pretty good special effects and a seriously devoted art department, this movie has some really impressive scenery. Sure, some of it looks kind of fake, but for the most part they did a really good job. You actually believe that these kids have been shrunk because their surroundings are so convincing. This is most certainly the essential component to making a film like this work.

A wacky scientist creates a machine capable of shrinking things, but it doesn’t work right very often. The few times that it does work, it shrinks his children and the neighbor kids, who end up having to hike back to the house through the back yard after accidentally being swept up and taken out with the trash.

Targeted for kids but also enjoyable for adults, you’re able to suspend your disbelief at some of the absurdities that would have been more stinging had this movie not meant to be a funny romp in the back yard. Kids will enjoy the adventure and parents will get the message about spending time with your kids. While not perfect, this fun piece of nostalgia is certainly an in-the-park home run.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

The Stand (1994)

I absolutely love Stephen King’s work, and The Stand is no exception. It was one of King’s earliest novels, and yet it is one of his greatest achievements. Sadly, the translation from novel to film would be near impossible. Some of the key events (especially towards the end) would be impossible to convincingly create, which makes me wonder why anyone thought it could be turned into a TV mini-series.

They tried though, they really did. Broken into four parts, The Stand flows like a movie, as it is one complete narrative with a beginning, middle and end. I consider it a film made for TV, and broken up into segments. Maybe I’m wrong to consider it thus, but I do. If you try to watch it all in one sitting, brace yourself- The Stand tops out at just over 6 hours long, which actually isn’t even close to long enough, given King’s lush source material.

The Stand focuses on the aftermath of a highly lethal super-virus outbreak from a government facility. Over 99% of the world’s population is dead, and there are two camps of survivors- good and evil. Both are being called to specific places for specific purposes. The mini-series does a decent job of covering the many faces and personalities from the book, with only a few omissions (one of which is actually fairly major).

The acting is as good as it can be for a made-for-TV cast. Some choices are truly inspired, such as Rob Lowe as a deaf mute struggling to find purpose. The real show stealer though is Randall Flagg, the embodiment of evil in this devastated world. Ultimately, the two camps, good and evil, are drawn together for a final conflict that will determine the fate of humanity.

If you don’t love Stephen King’s work, I don’t recommend trying to tackle this beast. Fans will be able to tolerate its shortcomings and appreciate the effort.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5