Hercules Recycled 2.0

Directed by Don Moriarty, Greg Alt
Warning – this review may contain spoilers

Hercules Recycled 2.0 is an experimental mashup of scenes from nine classic “Sword and Sandal” movies, including Hercules, Hercules Unchained, and The Last Days of Pompeii. The film takes these old scenes and redubs them with absurd dialogue, adds CGI, and inserts random new characters into the mix. The premise is meant to be a comedic adventure set in a dystopian future where the world has fallen into primal chaos. While I understand the intention was to create something quirky and offbeat, the execution left me more confused than entertained. The story didn’t make much sense and felt like a series of random, disconnected moments stitched together. I found it hard to stay engaged as the humor didn’t land for me, and I think many audiences would feel similarly lost in the chaos.

It’s difficult to evaluate elements like lighting or cinematography because the bulk of the footage comes from pre-existing movies. The CGI effects added to the scenes were clearly low-budget and amateurish, though I suspect this might have been a deliberate choice to match the film’s campy tone. However, it was hard to tell whether the lackluster visual effects were meant to be part of the joke or just a byproduct of the production’s limitations. The sound quality, which appears to be one of the few original components of the film, wasn’t great either. Dialogue often felt jumbled or out of sync with the action, making it hard to follow the absurdity unfolding on screen.

The film doesn’t present a coherent narrative. Instead, it plays more like a series of YouTube parody clips strung together, which made it hard to stay invested. While the idea of recycling old movie footage for comedic purposes can be fun, this film didn’t offer much in the way of clever or fresh humor. Instead, it felt gimmicky, and the constant randomness left me disconnected. I’m not sure this would appeal to festival audiences, as it lacks the creativity or structure that many viewers expect from a feature-length project.

Overall, I didn’t connect with Hercules Recycled 2.0. The attempt to blend cheesy classic cinema with modern effects and dubbing might work for those looking for a lowbrow, chaotic comedy, but I didn’t find it entertaining or engaging. For me, the humor fell flat, and the film’s lack of direction made it difficult to stay focused or invested in the story.