Hercules is a 1983 fantasy film written and directed by Luigi Cozzi and starring Lou Ferrigno, Brad Harris, Sybil Danning, and William Berger.

[7] Several competing efforts were planned at the time, such as Enzo Castellari's Anno 2000: Ercole a Nueva York or Sergio Corbucci's Hercules 1984/Hercules 2000, neither of which eventuated.

[11] Finally, the additional film was repackaged as a standalone product simply called The Seven Magnificent Gladiators, in which Ferrigno played a different character.

Mattei claims that Luigi Cozzi conspired to have him removed by denigrating the planned script for Hercules, and tempting Cannon with a more effects-driven vision.

[6] When Cozzi was brought in, he was given just two weeks to complete his screenplay, so as to minimize delays and extra payments to Ferrigno, who was already in Rome working on Seven Magnificent Gladiators.

[5] Cozzi's eventual version mixes peplum and science fiction, with influences ranging from The Colossus of Rhodes and Atlantis, the Lost Continent to Superman and Star Wars.

[15] Author Gary Allen Smith notes that aside from the cleaning of the Augean stables, the Twelve Labours of Hercules are seldom represented on screen.

[17]: 33:00 [18] According to Sybil Danning and her manager, the character of Ariadne was originally much stronger, as she seduced Hercules to make him her instrument of conquest, and dueled him to the death after their falling out.

[20] He was also pleased to find a role that combined his musculature with a broader acting range than he was allowed as Bruce Banner's alter ego.

[22] As a result, Danning made unflattering comments about Ferrigno and his wife's supposed insecurities during the film's promotion, which annoyed Cannon boss Menahem Golan.

[12][19][22] Press materials claimed that Harris, a former Hercules, had come out of retirement for the chance to appear with Ferrigno, although there is no evidence that this was true, as he had been regularly employed in the years prior.

[3] Although the film was more fantasy-oriented than Seven Magnificent Gladiators, locations include the former Latomie di Salone quarry, Arenauta Beach in Gaeta, the Great Cascade in Tivoli, and the Monte Gelato waterfalls, which were already used in its predecessor.

[42] Although Ferrigno sensed a measure of skepticism from the Italian crew at first, he felt that he gained their increasing respect through the shoot, culminating in an ovation after he successfully performed the stone throw.

[50] Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness made a strong push for Hercules, making it the cover story for its September 1982 and March 1983 issues.

[54] Although special permission had been obtained for the stunt, an unaware policeman pulled Ferrigno over for his vehicle's failure to display a registration plate.

[4] In a retrospective interview, MGM's Frank Yablans rebuked Cozzi's claim that the film had been a great success, but conceded that "it was a hit in comparison to all the other garbage [Cannon] gave us.

[66] Hercules received largely negative reviews from critics, with many finding that it failed to live up to both contemporary and older inspirations.

Michele Anselmi of Italian daily l'Unità derided "a revival that borders on the ridiculous" and penned his review in the form of a letter to Hercules, urging him to retire from film.

[67] Kansas City Star critic Robert C. Trussell called it even less satisfying than "low-budget Italian-made mythological epics of two decades ago".

Some critics were reminded of the practical effects of Clash of the Titans, but the comparisons were unfavorable, with the The Pittsburgh Press' Ed Blank calling it a "chintzy rerun" of that film.

"[75] Henry Edgar of Virginia's The Daily Press was most positive, labeling it "a lavish spectacle", "packed with action and color in epic proportions".

[77] Van Gelder declared that "[n]o good will come of detailing how this film's narrative departs from classical mythology to traffic in baser materials from Superman to Star Wars"[72] Ferrigno received mediocre grades in the title role.

"[69] On the other hand, Edgar called Ferrigno's leading role "a major flaw", adding that "his massive body can't compensate for the lack of expertise.

[78] Variety opined that "[a]lthough dubbed by another, Lou Ferrigno is perfectly affable, and physically (if not physiognomically) he more than lives up to his billing.

[79] Francesco Mininnin of Magazine italiano TV found that "Cozzi tries to rekindle the success of the mythological genre [...] But the era of musclemen is gone, and Lou Ferrigno really is not a worthy actor.

"[82] In his book Epic Films, Gary Allen Smith remarked that "the production design is imaginative, considering the limitations of the budget, but the visuals are often marred by poor quality of the special effects."