Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

ThiefHott Too much of everything

Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Rainey Dawn The handsome Steve Reeves is back as Hercules and this time he's apparently Unchained. LOL. In this one, Hercules accidentally drinks a magic potion, looses his memory, falls in love and marries Iole. The two spend much of the film in the pleasure gardens of Queen Omphale of Lydia. Ulysses is there trying to help Herc regain his memory. Herc and Ulysses were on their way to Thebes for an important diplomatic mission when Herc drank the potion and will complete it when Herc gets some of his memory back but he also must help his new wife Iole from danger.It's another one of those mindless fun films that I can watch to simply relax and not have think all that much about what is going on in the film and look at Steve Reeves.4/10

Leofwine_draca In this follow-up to the blockbuster hit HERCULES, our muscular hero travels to his home land to discover treachery and a war between two brothers for domination of the city of Thebes. Acting as a diplomat between the two men, he is employed with transporting a treaty from one to the other. Along the way he drinks from the fountain of forgetfulness and is captured by a cruel queen who loves men and then turns them into statues. Eventually breaking free from his memory loss, he escapes and goes to battle to rescue his captured wife.Firstly, ignore the plot as the box has it. Obviously written by somebody who's never seen the film, it makes no sense and hardly any of it happens in HERCULES UNCHAINED. What we have here is a straightforward adventure yarn with a rather complex plot for a change involving lots of different groups of people (there are at least four armies around here). With photography by one Mario Bava, the film is lovely and colourful to look at although sometimes the low budget is apparent (especially in the fun but cheap-looking lion fights).Like most films from this period, there's a bit of everything for people to enjoy. The violence is tame by today's standards (even getting the film a 'U' certificate) yet still involves people hacking each other up with swords and bleeding all over the place and getting thrown to their deaths - with the impact on screen! I could have done without the romantic subplot between Reeves and Sylvia Lopez, who plays Queen Omphale, although you have to admire the scriptwriter's ingenuity which allows Reeves to have an affair through forgetfulness and yet return to a loving, unsuspecting wife afterwards! Steve Reeves is on top form here, playing his best remembered role and his muscular physique is something to look at. Throughout the film he does all sorts of manly things, including bending bars (underwater this time), moving huge boulders, holding open huge steel doors as they close, and throwing giant statues at the enemy! Koscina is also quite radiant as his long-suffering wife while Gabriele Antonini lends some comic relief as the young Ulysses - his impersonation of a deaf mute had me repeatedly in stitches! While the romantic aspect of the film is quite boring and there's a definite lull in the middle, you always know that there'll be another action set piece coming up and sure as hell, there is. This keeps the film entertaining throughout. They even manage to throw in a full-scale war at the end, as well as some gladiatoral combat and a macabre museum of human corpses! My favourite scene has Hercules fighting an immortal 'earth god' who repeatedly laughs at his opponent's efforts to beat him - until he is dunked unceremoniously in the ocean by our friendly titan! HERCULES UNCHAINED definitely isn't the best of the genre and there are a lot better efforts out there, but it's nice to look at and a lot of fun on an escapist level.

ma-cortes The movie opens with the musclebound mythical Hercules ( Steve Reeves ), his recent wife Iole ( Sylva Koscina), and the young Ulysses (Gabriel Antonini) setting off for the city of Thebes , continuing the end of the quest for the Golden Fleece (depicted in the former picture , Hercules , that was essentially a recounting of the tale of Jason and the Argonauts). Their trip is interrupted when Hercules must do battle with the giant Anteus (Primo Carnera), whose strength seems to exceed his own until he realizes that Anteus is the son of the earth goddess, Gea, and can't be defeated on land. On their arrival in Thebes, the trio discovers that the kingdom is in the midst of civil war , Oedipus (Cesare Fantoni), the blind old king, is dying, and his two sons, Polynices (Mimmo Palmara) and Eteocles (Sergio Fantoni), are confronting for the throne and threatening to destroy each other and the populace. Hercules must leave Iole in the hands of one side in order to try and settle the dispute between the two would-be kings. While en route between the two armed camps, however, he is put under the spell of Omphale (Sylvia Lopez), the Queen of Lydia .Hercules drinks from a magic spring and lost his records , then the Queen casts out his memory , is seduced and tangles him as a lover , in addition Ulysses in tow pretending to be his deaf-mute servant. Ulysses must figure out how to keep himself alive, restore Hercules' record, get them both out of Omphale's grasp before she tires of amnesiac Hercules and has him killed , and get them both back to Thebes before the kingdom is burned to the ground. His solution arrives in the form of his father, Laertes ( Andrea Fantasia ), and Hercules' companions as Argo (Aldo Fiorelli) the shipbuilder and the Argonauts from his voyage for the Golden Fleece. They all escape Omphale's clutches and arrive at Thebes where the political tensions raise as war has broken out between the Edipo's sons and their armies , furthermore his new spouse finds herself in mortal risk . In a breathtaking denouement, Hercules brings his chariot into the middle of the thunderous fighting , knocking down assault towers and sweeping cavalry before him to halt the battle.This mythological movie is plenty of adventures , emotions, thrills , atmospheric settings and colorful scenarios well photographed by the maestro Mario Bava . The plot this time is drawn from the legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes, which are most familiar to audiences through the Theban plays of Sophocles as Aedipus at Colonia and Seven against Thebes by Aeschylus . It is widely considered to be one of the top 10 greatest Peplum films of all time. This great film will surely attract a whole new generation of classic movie fans. And for seasoned cinematic connoseuirs, Hercules Unchained (1959) will rekindle an era of film making at its best. This is Steve Reeves' second and last film portrayal of Hercules is, in certain ways, better than his first . For others who simply enjoy watching timeless pieces with icons such as Steve Reeves. The corpulent Steve Reeves was a hunk man who made lots of roman epic films also called ¨Musclemen movies¨. Luck's Reeves changed when Italian director Pietro Francisci persuaded him to go overseas to star ¨Hercules¨ and sequel ¨Hercules and queen of Lydia also titled Hercules unchained ¨ that served as the prototypes of all cloak-and-sandal movies to come and both of them became a surprise US hit smash . Later on, he followed with ¨Goliath and the Barbarians, The giant of Marathon, The Trojan horse, The son of Spartacus and The Avenger¨ among them . Steve was an American bouncing who emigrated Italy and created a true star-system based on pumped-up heroes. He paved the way for other actors to seek their fame and fortune in Italy playing bouncing adventurers . Other stars by the time on this type of movies are Mark Forest, Gordon Mitchell, Dan Vadis, Brad Harris and 'Gordon Scott' who made him more important competence. Nobody, nevertheless, topped Steve in popularity . Rating : Good , high recommended for Peplum fans

wes-connors "Hercules exercises poor judgment when he quenches his thirst from an enchanted spring en route to a diplomatic mission in Thebes. He promptly loses his memory and gets sidetracked in the pleasure gardens of Queen Omphale. Ulysses, his young companion, tries to desperately to help him regain his memory, but in the meantime, the situation in Thebes is reaching boiling point. To make matters worse Hercules' young wife Iole faces imminent danger," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.Re-titled "Hercules Unchained" for the English speaking world.This was the second Hercules film directed by Pietro Francisci with Mario Bava, and starring handsome muscle-man Steve Reeves as the titular hero. Unfortunately, it was also the last time both Mr. Francisci and Mr. Reeves signed on to the series, as both sought finer productions. Importantly, Reeves' boy companion Gabriele Antonini (as Ulysses) also returns, as does beautiful wife Sylva Koscina (as Iole) and a variety of busty young women. One of the better "sword and sandal" epics.***** Ercole e la regina di Lidia (2/14/59) Pietro Francisci ~ Steve Reeves, Gabriele Antonini, Sylva Koscina, Sylvia Lopez