#herculesreturns

If you’re in the mood for a dramatic, serious, Oscar award nominee in the making film, then Hercules Returns (1993), is most definitely NOT for you. However, if you’re after a hilarious, belly shaking Australian comedy – think Muscle Men meets Kath and Kim – then you’ve got the right one!  

Australia has always been famous for its classic larrikin and satiric films, The Castle, Muriel’s Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert just to name a few. Taking place in the town of Chlamydia and with main characters with names like Testiculi, Labia and Charlie, Hercules Returns fits in perfectly with this stereotype, in fact this film pre dates them all, so is it too presumptuous to say that this is the film that started it all? Constantly pocking fun at itself (as is the Australian way) and breaking the fourth wall “this film is in Italian right … let’s skip to the next scene!” and “have you guys noticed that some of this water is really brown and some of it’s really blue – like in a swimming pool?” as well as Samson snoring in time with the foreboding music and chickens missing their cues, this film is full of pure juxtaposition of Australian boganism and original 1960’s classic Italian muscle men film.

Deciding to quit his job working as a corporate clone for cinema tycoon Sir Michael Kent (played by Michael Carman – Nim’s Island, Killer Elite), Brad (David Argue – Gallipoli, BMX Bandits) along with his rad tag sidekicks, projectionist Sprocket (Bruce Spence – Mad Max, Finding Nemo) and feisty publicist Lisa (Mary Coustas – Greeks on the Roof, Effie: Just Quietly) decide to reopen the old Picture Palace Theatre in Melbourne. Choosing to rescreen the film that was last played there before it closed, Hercules, as their premiere. However when the film turns out to be in Italian, through the workings of Mr Kent, and with no back up waiting, badly live dubbing and hilarity ensues.

           Throughout the film, there is a sort of Romeo and Juliet romance with two fueding families undertone, or in this case, the ‘Pink Panthenon Club’ owned by Labia’s mother ‘Muriel’ and Testiculi’s father’s beer garden. This film also has many suggestions to the David and Goliath paradox. Brad and his fight against ‘the man’ as well as Hercules and his constant fight to prove himself to everyone that he isn’t just a “pinhead”.  

There are multiple comparisons to what’s going on, both on film and what is going on in the projection booth. During the final battle we see Hercules fighting Testiculi at the same time Brad and Mr Kent finally come to blows, in fact the dialogue between Mr Kent and Brad takes over for both sets of characters and we have a joining of the worlds for the finale.

Australia likes to make films about the ‘little guy’ winning the day and beating the big mean corporation – or ‘the man’. This movie is a perfect example of this. With a giant money making theatre machine empire behind him, Mr Kent has nothing to fear from Brad opening the Picture Palace, yet pride and a massive amount of ego take control and he eventually loses. He doesn’t lose anything substantial like money or land, he just has a massive blow, both figuratively and literally, to his superiority complex.

With a quick special guest appearance by infamous Australian film critics Margaret Pomeranz and Ivan Hutchinson, this movie rounds out its ‘true blue’ness with a fantastic punch for berated women everywhere. This small yet very powerful gesture for women always being talked down to by powerful men was another reference to the ‘little guy’ winning the day.

Hercules Returns is a family comedy film with a pure unabashed Australian feel. The references to Australian pop culture (both Kylie Minogue and Olivia Newton John get a mention) tie into the cult classic flawlessly and the easy way the lines and sounds come across being dubbed is nothing short of genius. If you haven’t seen this film I implore you to sit back and have a giggle.

References:

IMDb. 2017. Hercules Returns (1993) – IMDb. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107103/?ref_=nv_sr_1.

IMDb. 2017. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen on the Desert (1994) – IMDb. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109045/?ref_=nv_sr_1

IMDb. 2017. Muriel’s Wedding (1994) – IMDb. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110598/?ref_=nv_sr_1

IMDb. 2017. The Castle (1997) – IMDb. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118826/?ref_=nv_sr_2