Okay, I know this is a cheapie churned out quickly by the Italian "Epic Theater -Sword & Sandal" machine, but it was made in 1965 people, and so it really is not as bad as some of your reviews would have it seem. As a filmmaker myself, I know how EXTREMELY DIFFICULT it is to go out on location and get anything even half decent on film, so just by that, the Italians have done a great job. The action set pieces are really quite well done, and the acting is believable and passable, even from Alan Steele, who I think makes a great Hercules. The special effects are very good for their time, especially the giant rock monsters. The Queen is an excellent evil schemer with perfect vulpine qualities, not to mention a very beautiful face and sexy figure. I could look at her all day long. If you compare this film, or any of the Italian horror films made around the same period (Nightmare Castle for example) or the excellent hammer Horror Ingrid Pitt vampire series, they are far superior in all aspects to anything that Hollywood was churning out at the time (or now). Most of that stuff was cranked out by the Corman machine and fell far short of the quality of Hercules Against the Moon Men. The sequences are filmed well, with steady, clear and precise camera work, and they are edited together nicely. I admit that the sandstorm sequence is perhaps a little too long, but it is no where near as agonizing to sit through than the entire Transformers movie out recently. Perhaps the only criticism I have for Hercules is the inconsistency of his strength - any man powerful enough to raise a rock monster over his head and toss it aside would be unstoppable, and most certainly unable to be fought against by guys with swords. But I loved the fight scenes anyway, and Alan Steele really looks like he's grinning and having a great time as the unbeatable hero. I love this film as much now as I did when I first saw it as a little boy growing up in England.
Review of Hercules Against the Moon Men
