Product Description

Long ago… In a time of myth and legend, when ancient gods plagued man with suffering – only one man dared to challenge their power. Hercules! This spectacular collection brings together all five full-length action-packed movies starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Anthony Quinn as Zeus and includes the entire debut season in one epic collector’s set. Kevin Sorbo’s fresh, hip and good-natured spin on the legendary hero carried this witty, adventure-filled action drama to high critical acclaim. Smartly combining ancient myth with contemporary sensibilities, the series became one of television’s highest rated programs. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Season One Collection Includes All Five Action-Packed Hercules Movies And All 13 Season One Episodes!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17964 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-06-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 7
• Running time: 1040 minutes

Amazon.com
Forget Steve Reeves and all those Italian strongmen who played stiff, humorless versions of the mythic demigod in 1960s Saturday matinee fodder. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (a cluster of 1990s television films followed by a syndicated series) re-imagines and re-introduces Hercules--son of Olympian chief Zeus and an earthbound, mortal mother--as a laidback but focused hero of ordinary folks with extraordinary problems. Played with casual grace and ironic wit by Kevin Sorbo, the new Hercules wanders through an equally entertaining, revisionist view of ancient Greece as, well, charming and accessible--not exactly Homeric. There are gods and monsters aplenty, but if this was the cradle of civilization, well....

This eight-disc volume includes five movie-length adventures, thirteen one-hour episodes, and numerous bonus features. Narratively, the unfolding story finds Herc doing good deeds wherever he's needed, though his backstory is more interesting, including a dubious relationship with his all-powerful dad (a sweet performance by Anthony Quinn)and a tendency to feel the wrath of Zeus's wife, Hera, simply because Hercules is the philandering old man's illegitimate offspring. The movie cycle ends with Herc in a state of domestic bliss; the subsequent, regular series darkens him considerably but then thrusts him repeatedly into adventures with redemptive possibilities.

Nifty special effects make one believe once again in centaurs, many-headed serpents, a Minotaur, a Cyclops, and several other fantastic species not included in standard references to Greek myths. The regular or recurring cast include Michael Hurst as Hercules's vain, comic-foil buddy, Iolaus; Tawny Kitaen as the hero's wife; and Lucy Lawless in a pre-Xena role (in Hercules and the Amazon Women) and then as the Warrior Princess herself for multiple episodes. All together, this is a show that turned out to be smarter and funnier than anyone might have expected in the mid-'90s, and which holds up very well today. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Protector of the People
Hercules Season One, an 8-disc DVD Collection, collects all 5 TV pilot movies and the 13-episode first season (1994-1995) of the syndicated action series based on the popular Greek mythological figure.

THE STORY

The critically-acclaimed �Hercules the Legendary Journeys� aired in syndication for 6 seasons from 1994 till 1999. Based on the popular hero from Greek mythology, the story followed the adventures of Hercules and his friend Iolaus as they traveled the earth defending mortals against the tyrannical gods who plagued them, namely his step-mother Hera, Queen of the Gods and his half-brother Ares, the God of War. The series� brilliant combination of action and adventure, special effects and adaptation of Greek mythology was a critical as well as commercial success, drawing strong ratings and a cult-following.

THE DVDS:

Disc 1:

Movie 1: �Hercules and the Amazon Women� � Hercules and Iolaus embark on one last great adventure before Iolaus� wedding. Answering the call to save a village from mysterious monsters they instead find a tribe of Hera-worshipping warrior women who have shunned men from their lives.

Movie 2: �Hercules and the Lost Kingdom� � Hercules aids a young woman find the lost city of Troy which was banished by Hera.

Disc 2:

Movie 3: �Hercules and the Circle of Fire� � Hera has stolen fire from mankind and only Hercules, along with the lovely Deianera, can get it back.

Movie 4: �Hercules in the Underworld� � Hercules is called to help save a village where the people are being sucked underground. In the midst of it all he saves his wife Deianera from the traitorous Centaur Nessus and winds up in the Underworld battling the guard of Hades -- the three-headed dog Cerberus.

Disc 3:

Movie 5: �Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur� � Settled down with his wife and kids, Hercules and Iolaus reminisce about their adventures together until they are summoned to a village to help slay a mysterious monster that not even Zeus himself can kill!!

Disc 4:

Episode 1: �The Wrong Path� � After Hera kills his family, Hercules sets out to avenge them. With Hercules on his personal quest, Iolaus answers to call to help a village being plagued by Hera�s She-Demon who can turn men into stone.

Episode 2: �Eye of the Beholder� � Hercules helps a town overcome a Cyclops who�s diverting their river�s flow away to Hera�s vineyards. Intro: Salmoneus the Traveling Salesman

Episode 3: �The Road to Calydon� � Hercules aids a cursed people move to the protected and enchanted city of Calydon.

Disc 5:

Episode 4: �The Festival of Dionysus� � Hercules helps to thwart a devious plot concocted by an ambitious prince and Ares the God of War to overthrow the peaceful King of Meliad.

Episode 5: �Ares� � Hercules stops Ares and his servant from recruiting an army of teenage boys.

Episode 6: �As Darkness Falls� � Hercules must battle Nemis the Centaur, brother of Nessus and servant of Hera, who has kidnapped the bride Penelope. He has one problem though, he is slowly going blind as part of Nemis� plot to kill him and only Salmoneus, the timid traveling salesman, can help him.

Disc 6:

Episode 7: �Pride Goes Before a Brawl� � Iolaus saves a maiden and battles a group of bandits in the forest. Little does he know that Hera has sentenced him to death and only Hercules can save him.

Episode 8: �The March to Freedom� � Hercules helps free a group of Easterners from a vicious slave trader.

Episode 9: �The Warrior Princess� � THE DEBUT OF XENA. To Iolaus she is the love of his life for whom he would kill and die for. To the rest of the world she is a merciless Warlord who is bent on world conquest. What happens when Hercules sets out to stop her once and for all?

Disc 7:

Episode 10 � �The Gladiator� � Hercules and Iolaus free the prisoners of Menas Maxius, ruler of Apropus, who forces them into mortal combat for his own sick pleasure.

Episode 11 � �The Vanishing Dead� � Hercules and Iolaus try to stop a senseless civil war between the people of Tantalus concocted as a devious scheme by Ares who wants more dead bodies to feed his dog Graegus.

Episode 12 � �The Gauntlet� � Xena is usurped by her ruthless lieutenant Darphus. Hercules and Xena join forces to defeat Darphus� army and stop their reign of terror once and for all.

Episode 13 � �Unchained Heart� � Ares resurrects Darphus and sends him on a mission to destroy the world and provide enough dead bodies to satiate Graegus� hunger. It will take the combined might of Hercules, Iolaus, Xena and Salmoneus to stop him.

THE DVD EXTRAS

Anchor Bay�s put out another solid Season DVD set with an awesome extras package. Among the goodies this DVD set comes with are:

SELECTED EPISODE COMMENTARY

Select episodes feature audio or video commentary by series� stars Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst. Audio commentary is featured on episodes 2, 5, 7, 9 and 10. Video commentary is featured on episodes 5, 7, 10.

COLLECTIBLES AND CONTESTS

Each season DVD set includes a collector�s edition Hercules coin. You can mail away for a coin holder to house your coins. Also included are entry forms for the Hercules sweepstakes contest for a trip to the Athens Games of 2004.

DISC 8: EXTRAS

Included on Disc 8 are:

1. Hercules screensaver

2. The Chronicles: A comprehensive guide to the Hercules universe including Episode Guides (Scrolls) and character guides for important characters including Mortals, Gods and Creatures.

3. Trivia Game: Test your Hercules knowledge (or pick up some).

4. Director and Actor Bios: Filmographies for ALL actors and directors who appeared in/worked on Season One.

THE VERDICT

Lovers of action-adventure and mythology are bound to fall in love with this series. The �Ancient Greece� settings and the FX that make up all its evil monsters are awe-inspiring. In all, you won�t be disappointed as you follow along with Hercules and his Legendary Journeys!!

Highest Recommendation

Hours of entertainment at a good price.
I pre-ordered this set as soon as I found out about it and I'm glad I did. I watched Hercules (and Xena) for years while it was on TV and miss it, so I get my fix when I need it now. Hercules and Iolas have a positive buoyancy and a "nothing is sacred" humor that is sadly lacking in a lot of hero action series so it's also refreshing to watch. This set has all the Action Pack movies as well as Season 1 (which includes the Xena trilogy), pamphlets, etc and supposedly a commemortive coin (though I found none in my package and there was no customer service number to call inside either, that was one downer). But the quality is good, the beginnings are the original beginnings, which is fun, and you get to see Zeus when he was played by Anthony Quinn, Lucy Lawless when she was playing bit parts, and Ares before Kevin Smith personified the role so well. In fact, though a Xena fan (and I know I will be making some Xena fans angry when I say this) I must say that the Hercules set is much BETTER than the Xena first season set because it actually has commentary by Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst, while the Xena set is sadly lacking in that. The commentary is lots of fun, especially if you're already familiar with the stories. Something to watch out for, that I never realized with the TV shows, is the "No (blank) was harmed during the filming of this episode" in the credits. They usually have some bit in there about "Centaurs" or "satyrs" or "giants" or something funny. Fun to watch for anyway. And Amazon offers a much better price than the fan sites do with the added bonus of free shipping for orders over $... That makes the perDVD price worth it. Yes, I really think it's worth your investment of time and money and I think you should get it. It's too much fun to pass up.

Better Than GREAT
I've been looking forward to getting the first season of H:TLJ on DVD for the LONGEST time and was not as all disappointed when it finally showed. This set is even better than anticipated.

The background and commentary from the stars of the show, Sorbo and Hurst, is wonderful. You can actually see them watching the episodes along with you or, if you prefer, listen to their comments as you watch. I only wish we could have heard from both actors on more than a few episodes. Also would have loved to heard from Rob Tapert on a few of those first season episodes as well.

The installment with Kevin Sorbo and one of the directors (of his first HTLJ movie?) is fun and quite telling. They obviously respect each other a great deal.

Even the small gaff's in both Sorbo and Hursts memories are endeariong. We tend to forget how long ago these shows were taped and they've been inviolved in so many!

In the furture I would like to see outtakes, comments from other actors such as Bruce Campbell (Autolycus) and Bob Trebor (Salmoneus) and also a segment with Sorbo and Hurst together, in the same room, taking a trip down memory lane, especially about their good friend, Kevin Smith (Ares) who is sadly no longer with us. However, we have five in a half more seasons to go for all that!

The picture quality in these DVDs is superior, much better than any of the videos (tape) done years ago, and I eagerly await Season Two and the surprizes it has in store for the HTLJ fans!