Peplum, mythology, sword & sorcery and biblical films I have seen

The granddaddy of all modern Peplum films with Steve Reeves defining the role of Hercules. Some amazing action and enough fantasy to satisfy everyone. Sylva Koscina is also exquisite as Iole. This film has been greatly influenced by the 1949 Hollywood film Samson and Delilah. Probably the best Peplum of all time. Do not miss this one.

Good sequel to Hercules with a solid story and another great performance by Steve Reeves. Solid action throughout. The only problem is that it lacks the fantasy element so present in the first film. Sylva Koscina once again is excellent as Iole.

Terrific peplum that has everything you would expect from this type of film: Hercules, a 3 headed fire breathing dog, a centaur, several love stories, a revenge plot, a tyrant, a slave queen, etc. Mark Forest is a fantastic Hercules, almost as good as Steve Reeves. The story moves along at a great clip and the acting is quite good for this type of film. I saw the European version(The Vengeance of Hercules) where the hero is Hercules and he is in conflict with his son Illo who loves an enslaved princess whose father, a king, was killed by the evil tyrant. In the American dub, the hero is changed to Goliath (apparently for copyright reasons) except in this version Illo is his brother which makes no sense to me. In any case, a great peplum, which unfortunately has the cheesiest monsters you have ever seen in these films(the bear is laughably inept and the man-bat hilarious). A great escape otherwise.

Terrible film. Mickey Hargitay looks good but can't act if his life depended on it. Jayne Mansfield is just as bad in the acting department. There is plenty of action and the story is ok. The best part is the Amazon queen turning her lovers into living trees!! The least said about Herc's battle with a bull, the better. The three-headed Hydra is also not very convincing. If you have to see this film, just skip to the part with the living trees.

This is a Maciste film whose title has been changed to Atlas (Throughout the film the main character is referred to as Maciste). The story is ok and the Cyclops is quite creepy but the film drags on without ever coming to life. Gordon Mitchell is much older than most strongmen but he is ok. The baby in the film is played by Fabio!!!! Don't bother with this one.

Reg Park plays Hercules this time as a lazy hero who isn't interested in doing much but the film is very good and has some great fantasy sequences. Fay Spain is deliciously evil and the army of mutant soldiers pretty weird. The monster Herc fights is a quite cheesy but the rest of the film is solid. One of the better Hercules films out there and that music score is divine.

Hercules goes to Hell!! Great, atmospheric entry in the Italian strongman series has a nuanced performance by Reg Park as our hero. The sequence where the dead rise from their graves to attack Hercules in Hell is stunning and worth the price of admission on its own.

Typical Stooges nonsense is surprisingly watchable. Samson Burke as Hercules is villainous (the only time this has ever happened) but reforms before the end of the movie. He goes along with all the nonsense and manages to keep from being upstaged by the shenanigans. The Stooges are much older but pull it off as the story is sufficiently developed. Enjoyable rainy day film.

Terrific fantasy entry with some amazing Ray Harryhausen special effects and a story that goes all out. Casting Nigel Green(not a bodybuilder) as Hercules is inspired and he puts in a great performance(too bad he isn't in the film for that long). There are so many wonderful moments in this film that it is impossible to list them all: Highlights include the battle with the bronze giant Talos; the battle with the skeletons brought to life and the battle with the Hydra. My favourite sequence is when Triton comes out of the sea to hold back the clashing rocks so that the Argo can get through safely. Not to be missed.

Terrific fun animated series. The budgets were obviously minuscule but the stories were always fun. I am probably a bit too nostalgic about this show but I don't care. It was an important part of my childhood TV viewing. Great theme song and music.

Great mix of Greek mythology and the bible. The two strongmen unite to defeat a common enemy. Kirk Morris is good as Herc but not in the same league as Steve Reeves. The story is probably the best one of the bunch (apart from the original Hercules) and the action is non-stop. The final battle is furious and well mounted. Richard Lloyd is ok as Samson but it is Liana Orfei that steals the show as Delilah. The beautiful Diletta d'Andrea also holds her own as Leria, Hercules' wife. Many of the cast from the two Steve Reeves films appear in this one.

Below average Hercules film. Dan Vadis as Hercules (or Argoles, depending on which dub you get) is fine as the strongman but the story is poor and he is saddled with a comical sidekick that just slows the story down. The fight with the dragon is lifted from the original Steve Reeves Hercules movie. The rest is the usual fights, stunts and evil tyrants. Don't bother unless you are a huge fan of peplum.

This is actually a Maciste film that was changed to Hercules for US distribution. The story is quite poor and Alan Steel not very convincing as Maciste/Hercules. Skip this one.

I enjoyed this one. Mark Forest makes a heroic Hercules (in the English dubbed version. In the original he is Maciste, another legendary strongman) who fights the Mongols(and Gengis Khan) who are trying to invade Poland. Along the way, he fights a cheesy looking giant snake (and it is ginormous !!) and a crocodile (in Poland?). The action sequences are quite good and the final battle is very well put together with hundreds of extras as the soldiers of both armies. This one is worth a look.

Straightforward Hercules entry that does not skimp on the action sequences (the final battle is very well done). Unfortunately, there are no fantasy elements in the film which diminishes the story somewhat. Alan Steel is an energetic Hercules. Not bad overall but could have used a giant monster or a sorcerer to liven things up.

Not bad entry in the Hercules series has a bit of everything including a sorceress, an army of bronze giants, a tyrant and comic relief. Dan Vadis is quite athletic as Hercules not afraid to get his hands dirty. Unfortunately, this Hercules is easily duped by the villain and causes the death of a "good" man which forces Zeus to strip him of his strength. Not to worry, he asks for forgiveness and his strength is restored. The fight sequences in this film are mostly well done but the first time Herc fights the bronze giants it is shot like a Three Stooges sequence. The film starts off very slowly but picks up steam midway through and the ending is very clever. Overall OK but not as good as the Steve Reeves or Reg Park films.

Terrible film which stars Reg Park as Ursus (despite what the English dubbing will have you believe). Hercules/Ursus fights a monster and, it turns out, is the monster. Yup that is how stupid this film is. The bottom of the barrel. Look for the sequence where the muscular Reg Park is doubled by an overweight man with a huge gut. There, I just saved you 90 minutes.

Ho-hum Hercules entry notable for the presence of Peter Lupus(billed under the name Rock Stevens) of Mission Impossible fame as Hercules. The story is nothing we haven't seen before but has enough action to satisfy fans. Sets and location shooting are fine. Best part is the finale where Hercules destroys the city of Babylon singlehandedly. By the way, Herc's weapon of choice in this film is a giant club making him appear more as a caveman than the son of Zeus. A good way to pass a rainy afternoon but not much else.

Gordon Scott makes an amazing Hercules in this TV pilot that was never made into a series. The story is pretty good and Herc gets to fight a pretty amazing monster. Too bad it never led to a TV series.

Terrific, epic mini series that tells most of the story of the Odyssey. Bekim Fehmiu is great as the hero Ulysses. Irene Papas, appropriately tragic as his wife Penelope waiting so long for his return to Ithaca. I first saw this Italian-French-German-Yugoslav mini series when I was a kid and was impressed even back then, even though I could not appreciate it as I do now.There are some great moments including the terrifying, eerie confrontation with Polifemo, the cyclops (played by Canadian strongman Samson Burke)and the adventures on the island with Circe the witch who turns Ulysses' companions into pigs. Barbara Bach, in one of her first roles, plays Nausicaa, who finds Ulysses shipwrecked on her island and invites him to meet her parents, the King and Queen to tell his story. Most of the episodes are well made with Croatian and Montenegro landscapes filling in for ancient Greece and the other mysterious islands of the story. I found the end to be too long but that is a minor quibble. A terrific experience for all of you who love Greek mythology. Not to be missed.

Lou Ferrigno is good as Herc but this film is just awful. Special effects are atrocious and the story stinks. Forget about it.

Classic telling of the biblical story. Victor Mature is actually good as Samson. This definitely influenced the 1959 Hercules film starring Steve Reeves.

The epic battle between David and Goliath is shown as a flashback at the very end of the movie. The only negative of this movie is that it was shot in Arizona of all places !

Another terrific film with some amazing performances and terrific special effects. The splitting of the Red Sea is eye-popping. Charlton Heston was born to play Moses and does not disappoint. Do not miss this.

Pretty cheesy and over the top but the final battle is quite spectacular. Yul Brynner is amazing as Solomon.