Musings!

Hercules (Lou Ferrigno) tries to remove a massive stone while Circe (Mirella D'Angelo) watches on in HERCULES (1983)

For a generation, this was their first introduction to Hercules. They weren't born when the Reeves' version was released or even re-released. Some might have seen the Reeves movie on TV and they might have seen THE MIGHTY HERCULES cartoon show but for the most part, few youngsters back in 1983 had a clue until the Lou Ferrigno movies. It is entertaining and Lou certainly fits the role but it is, at moments, unintentionally funny, like the time Hercules tosses a bear into deep space. 

Like many muscular heroes, his strength is not consistent. He can throw a bear into space but has some difficulty with this stone. Luigi Cozzi, the director also directed the fun sci-fi STARCRASH (1979) and he conceived his Hercules movie in the same mold: it's a 'spacey' Hercules, with multicoloured stars and sets, monsters with deadly lasers, etc. Even the poster makes it look like an outer space adventure. As for Mirella, she was in many Eurocult movies during the same period, including TENEBRAE (1982), directed by Dario Argento. She's in what's probably the best scene in it. The sequel is THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULES (1985) or HERCULES II. Released by Cannon group! So many memories. 😂