"See a man throw a bear into outer space! See giant robots felled by boulders and logs! See a woman wearing seashell pasties and little else! See mobs of people at the box office demanding refunds! But don’t see “Hercules” unless you need a good laugh. Or a bad one. “Hercules” is the most idiotic, ridiculous muscleman movie since… well, since “Yor, the Hunter From the Future”, a whole week ago. The big difference between that film and that one, however, is that “Hercules” stars two “name” actors – Lou Ferrigno and Sybil Danning.
Billed in the ads as “the incredible Lou Ferrigno,” the star is best known as TV’s “The Incredible Hulk.” And though he’s not green here, the idea is much the same. As Hercules, he throws things around a lot. But it’s the audience that turns green.
This is epic filmmaking on the cheap. Dimestore special effects, stilted acting, dumb dialogue and choppy editing. It’s a wonder movies like this get made, much less released. But there are a few laugs, unintentional though they be.
“Hercules” rated PG for some bloody violence and partial nudity, is barely acted by Ferrigno, amateurishly written and directed by Lewis Coates and will be overpriced when it’s shown on television for free. Steve Reeves – where are you when we need you?" Christopher Hicks, The Deseret News, August 29th, 1983

"Hercules is portrayed by Lou Ferrigno – a man whose musclebound body has reached the point of no return. You get the impression that if Ferrigno stopped exercising for two days, he’d turn to 250 pounds of butter." Bruce Bailey, The Montreal Gazette, September 10th, 1983

"Brainless Plot, Insipid Acting Mark ‘Hercules’ Let’s just say that Lou Ferrigno as “Hercules” is to acting what a stone is to swimming. Equally muscle-bound Arnold Schwartzenegger seems as talented as Laurence Olivier by comparison. If you get your kicks from seeing pecs pulsate with passion and costs cut with papier-mache scenery, this is the PG movie for you. Some mechanical monsters are thrown in along with Greek gods that look like department store dummies just to underline the point that intelligence and taste should not be allowed to stand in the way of greed. Whatever happened to Steve Reeves?" Fred Lutz, Toledo Blade, August 30th, 1983

"Lou Ferrigno acts with his body. When tiny ripples roll up his chest, that means fear. When he flexes the football-size muscles in his arms, that's anger. When the two lumps that sit like bookends astride his neck start throbbing, that means watch out, he's open for business. But when he opens his mouth, it's as though somebody pulled the plug on one of those giant balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Whooosh. Total deflation...." Philadelphia Inquirer, August 30, 1983

"Muscle movie so awful it’s funny Ferrigno possesses the physical characteristics for the title role but his acting talents are negligible; hilariously awful in fact. With a rippling chest that would cause Bo Derek to blush with envy, and a face that only a near-sighted gorilla could love, his performance is a far cry from Steve Reeves’ rendition of the role over 20 years ago.
While the bowlegged Ferrigno stands about looking confused, characters babble on about sacrificing virgins and seeking the primal seed imbedded in the soul of the world. Little of ‘Hercules’ makes very much sense, but if approached as a campy face, it may be one of the funniest movies of the season." Mark Henderson, Ottawa Citizen, September 6th, 1983

"‘Hercules’ heavyweight flop Watching the Israeli-Italian production of “Hercules” in a modern multi-screen theater is a real endurance test. The acting is terrible, the story is ridiculous, the sets are fakey, the costumes are silly and even the fights are boring. All that is left is Lou Ferrigno’s admittedly magnificent body. You can watch twitching pectorals and dorsals for only so long.
I’m sure Lou Ferrigno is a great guy, but I’m afraid any success he achieves will be because of his body – not his brains or acting ability." Skip Sheffield, Boca Raton News, September 1st, 1983

"’Hercules’ Rip-Off Really Dumb Movie Played by Lou Ferrigno, Herky is described to us as “stronger and more intelligent” than anyone, which is good poop to have in a movie that forgets to put a head on his broad shoulders. Herky hardly can work up a fret when his mom dies, but he does flex his bulging pectorals for the 12th of more than 100 times. As he torches her home, he regurgitates that saw of all great house burners, “I have no home now.” How he wonders! “Why am I stronger than other men? Why does my strength bring such sorrow upon my head?” Sure, sure, Herk, lay the big questions on us, but don’t bother answering them.
Bright as he allegedly is, you can’t tell the big fella not to fool with sorceresses in gold lame swimsuits." Ed Blank, The Pitssburgh Press, August 27th, 1983

"Forget Steve Reeves and the sandy backlots of Hollywood. This “Hercules” is strictly for those who want to see the Incredible Hulk flex his pecs in outer space.
No doubt about it, Ferrigno has the muscles in this cheesecake of a B-movie. Maybe that’s why he travels through the universe in nothing but his gladiatorial briefs." Edward Jones, The Free-Lance Star, September 10th, 1983

"Just because a movie stars a mythic muscleman, it doesn’t mean it necessarily packs much of a punch. A case in point is “Hercules”, a 98-pound weakling of a movie that takes a colosossal hero and makes him a colossal bore. There is no clear point in the film, other than to show off Lou Ferrigno’s muscles.
The biggest Herculean task in “Hercules” is suffered by the audience – having to sit through the whole, dreary thing. This is one movie you could easily, er, myth." Mike McLane, Gainesville Sun, September 2nd, 1983

"During the movie’s opening-night showing in a Times Square theater in New York City, the crowd stayed with Ferrigno in the first hour of the film, yelling, “Get ‘em, Hulk,” whenever an opponent appeared. But the viewers started laughing – and never stopped – after Hercules received one of the strangest challenges of all time: clean out a stable which contained 1,000 horses and had been left unattended for years. When the champion completed the stable boy task, audience members referred to him as “Mr. Top Job” and “Mr. Spic ‘n’ Span.” At that point, everyone realized that “Hercules,” and perhaps Lou Ferrigno’s career had gone down the toilet." Lou Gaul, Beaver Country Times, September 7th, 1983

"Sitting through this mismash of bargain-basement effects, dreadful acting and cheap costumes (including aluminum foil crowns) requires the incredible strength and the infantile mind of the Hulk. Lou Ferrigno should use his bulging muscles to crush the agent who convinced him to appear in the title role." Lou Gaul, Beaver Country Times, December 30th, 1983

"Who can forget Ferrigno's steel-studded leather loincloth ("sirloincloth'' to you), which made him look like a Saran-wrapped side of beef?" Carrie Rickey, The Philadelphia Inquirer

"This 80s version of the Hercules myth stars Lou Ferrigno as the original god of illegal muscle-expanding drugs. In the role, he twitches muscles in an unpleasant and disturbing way, grunts a fair amount, and battles lots of robots (!) sent after him by the gods. Some of the visual effects are half decent considering this is a low-budget Italian Hercules movie, but the obvious attempts to cash in on the popularity of Star Wars are really out of place in what should be a fantasy movie." Demian Katz, MSTable movies

"Lou (Incredible Hulk) Ferrigno sports an impressive physique, and his feats of bravery are amusing on a comic-book level, but inane dialogue and and out-of-place outer space sequence prove too much for even Hercules to overcome." Mr. Showbiz

"If you thought the Italian films were laughable, get ready for this one. Featuring some of the most mindblowingly cheezy effects for the age (including a scene in which Herc tangles with a bear that is so PAINFULLY, obviously, a man in a suit it's amazing) and lots of scantily clad women including the ever present Sybil Danning, this Herc interpretation is so bizzare and "sci-fi-ish" that it goes beyond this world." Say Cheeze!

"Any film buff worth his salt knows who the real cinematic Hercules is: Lou Ferrigno. Shortly after ascending to some semblance of stardom as the Incredible Hulk, Ferrigno starred in two Hercules flicks (Hercules and, yes, Hercules II) - both of them, I assure you, high-quality works. Gape as Ferrigno cleans the Augean stables! Thrill as Ferrigno fights off some massive ...robot ...bird ...flying thing! Laugh with grim amusement as Ferrigno spouts his dialogue with all the savvy you'd expect from a man with no actual thespian coaching! Yes, Lou Ferrigno. The sombrero applauds you." Daniel Davis, The Oklahoma Daily

"When all is said and done, and Hercules is reunited with his love, Cassiopea, an exchange of dialogue takes place that represents well the calibre of the dialogue overall. Hercules strides up to Cassiopea and asks the laughably strange question, "Are you really Cassiopea?" I'm not sure why Hercules wouldn't think so, but here's her even stranger answer: "I'm all of them and none of them." Huh? Wasn't "yes" good enough for her?" At-A-Glance Film Reviews

"Yup, this is a kiddy movie, the type of thing I'd love as a kid, but can't stand now. It just has no pace, it makes no sense at all! The music was good, and there were a wealth of laughably silly moments, the funniest being when Ferrigno throws a bear into outer space (what the hell?). Anyway, it's silly stuff. A good viewing if you run out of flicks to watch, or just want to see all these great actors making asses of themselves (other than Lou, of course)." Aylmer's Reviews

"The values of the film range from massively dumb (the dialogue, by screenwriter Lewis Coates, who also directed), to marginally interesting, such as the special effects (by Armando Valcauda), which occasionally take on the vaguely demented loony feel of Japanese rubber-monster films. Ferrigno is adequate for what the production requires of him, which is grunting, yelling, throwing, jumping and flexing pecs." Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

"Although nowhere near as great as Sinbad of the Seven Seas, Lou Ferrigno's Hercules is well worth the rental fee for bad movie lovers. I'd give it a good three and a half turkeys. It almost gets four turkeys just for fulfilling my wish to see another Ferrigno movie, but I shouldn't elevate Hercules quite that much." Issachar

"Off-color (many scenes are in dim, bluish stage sets) and low-budget, this incarnation of Hercules may find unconverted viewers a difficult, 13th challenge to conquer." All-Movie Guide

"Lou Ferrigno seemed the perfect choice for Hercules, but a lame story line and poor special effects deflate the action. A strange blend of Star Wars technology and sword-and-sorcery style myth that doesn't work at all." Movie Guide Database

"Drab remake with Lou "Incredible Hulk'' Ferrigno doing the grunt-and-groan thing. He also starred in the even more inept "Hercules 2''. For Ferrigno fans only." Bob Ross, The Tampa Tribune

"The story, such as it is, doesn't begin until after a lengthy credit sequence which manages to edit in every special effects sequence from the first movie. Look close, folks, because these are the best special effects you're going to see; the sequel apparently had a drastically reduced budget.
What is does have, though, is Lou Ferrigno, the manliest man ever to be waxed. He sure does look brawny, and that's about all he does - look brawny. Occasionally he delivers a line, with bland results (of course, that's not entirely his fault); he also occasionally engages in hand to hand combat, with no more believable results." Nathan Shumate

"Basically the film is Saturday afternoon kiddy matinee fodder, good for passing the time, but little else." All-Movie Guide

"The standards of the original film are maintained in this atrocious sequel." E! Online

"Pockmarked by incompetent performances and laughable production values, this is a completely forgettable waste of time." Movie Guide Database

"More of the same silliness, though Sybil Danning is missed." Mr. Showbiz

"The 1983 Hercules looks like a big-budget hit in comparison to this lame sequel... In fact, the cheapness of this film boggles the mind. At the end of the film, Hercules battles a variety of foes in space after being turned into a stellar being... In order to represent this spectacular event, we are treated to long, badly rotoscoped (animation made by making line drawings from live action footage) battles. Finally, after defeating a bunch of warriors, Hercules turns into an ape, his foe turns into a T. Rex, and, I swear, the famous fight from King Kong is spliced in (in rotoscoped form, of course). Also, be sure to listen to the amazingly cheesy soundtrack... This whole movie sounds like a game of Space Invaders. Worth seeing if only to share in my disbelief at the use of King Kong footage and laugh at the "plonk" sound made by Zeus' thunderbolts." Demian Katz, MSTable movies

"The thing about the Ferrigno Herc films (and there were only 2) is that it's like the producers watched all the old movies starring Steve Reeves and pitched it, "We don't have their budget, so ours probably won't look as GREAT as theirs did. But the pro side is that our Hercules isn't nearly as flabby." Now imagine that they said that in a stereotyped Italian accent. Otherwise, the elements are unchanged - the plot, the tantalizing women, petty gods, camp value, ubiquitous battle scenes and oily barbarians - they're like twins from the same fertilized bad movie egg." Oh, the Humanity!

"The special effects are so amazingly bad, one wonders whether anybody on the project woke one morning and said, 'Hey, all this computer effects are just crap!' Of course, that same thought could be applied to any aspect of the production." Daniel J. Linehan