Dwayne Johnson is probably best known for big, blockbuster action movies like “Fast Five,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” and “San Andreas.” He has plenty of forgotten failures, too, but one interesting hit in his filmography is the 2014 fantasy epic “Hercules,” which did well in theaters but seems to have lost its standing on Johnson’s impressive resume. However, the film has found new life on streaming after being recently made available for free viewing on Tubi. And it’s a big hit there, coming in at No. 4 on the most-watched chart for the platform.
A big-budget take on the mythical Roman hero, “Hercules” puts Johnson into the same role once held by such iconic muscle men as Mickey Hargitay, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Lou Ferrigno. And one can easily argue that Johnson is the best of the bunch, starring in an adaptation of a graphic novel retelling of the classic legend titled “Hercules: The Thracian Wars.” Directed by Brett Ratner, the film is a slick, brutally violent, no-expenses-spared adventure, with epic action and sweeping battles that make audiences truly feel the weight of the fight that Hercules must wage against a brutal warlord.
Though reviews were mixed from both critics and audiences, most agreed that the action alone was worth the price of admission. In short, if you’re looking for a truly jaw-dropping action movie with a larger-than-life hero fighting in an ancient war, “Hercules” is the movie for you — and now you can watch it for free.
Johnson easily outshined a rival Hercules movie
The Roman god Hercules has been the subject of countless films throughout Hollywood history, but something unusual occurred in 2014, when Dwayne Johnson’s epic war movie “Hercules” was released in theaters. Another film about the hero came out earlier that same year, titled “The Legend of Hercules,” and it too was a slickly produced adventure, this time recounting the hero’s younger days as the son of Zeus.
Starring in “The Legend of Hercules” is Kellan Lutz, who in the early 2010s was trying to become the next great action hero. Unfortunately, not only did the movie fail to deliver, but it didn’t do much to convince audiences that Lutz was a superstar. Part of that could be attributed to the fact that Dwayne Johnson’s version of “Hercules” arrived just months later, and it wasn’t a favorable comparison for Lutz.
Ultimately, “The Legend of Hercules” received woeful reviews and bombed hard in theaters, unable to earn back even its relatively reasonable budget. Yet, it’s still not the movie that the “Twilight” alum probably regrets most. On the other hand, with Dwayne Johnson starring, “Hercules” was a solid hit, doubling its $100 million budget and then some. In fact, it did well enough that some might be surprised that it never received a follow-up.