Hercules in New York (1970) User Reviews (153)

Honestly, it is kinda funny at points

[EasternZZ · 7/10 · 1 April 2019]

This movie honestly is kinda funny. The acting is okay, but silly. The dialogue is bad, but at the same time funny. The story is silly, and random things just sort of happens. Hercules wants to come to earth, his father refuses, he pisses his father off and he send Hercules to Earth, and because Arnold speaks with such a thick accent, all the characters in the movie can't really understand him. Lots of random stuff happens, and then all ends good.

Funny scenes: 1. Arnold waves at an old lady from outside a plane and she overacts afterwards 2. Arnold fights with a bunch of sailors with a block of wood 3. Arnold refuses to pay a taxi driver for his services and destroys his taxi 4. Arnold fights a guy he just met inside a house 5. Arnold goes on a date with a girl and takes his shirt off and starts flexing in public 6. Arnold fights with a grizzly bear who happens to be at Central Park 7. Arnold becomes a wrestler and his manager signs him to a bunch of mobsters 8. Arnold walks around destroying a bunch of college athlete's records

7/10 "It is really not THAT bad. It is bad, but not THAT bad."

Might actually be fun, but Arnold Stang hangs around like a wretched fart and ruins everything

[zetes · 3/10 · 12 July 2015]

Over a decade before his movie career exploded and eight years before even Pumping Iron, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in this cheapie B comedy playing the Greek demigod Hercules, who has been banned from Olympus by Zeus. Schwarzenegger can barely speak a line of coherent English at this point (the film is probably more commonly seen with his performance dubbed, but his original voice is available nowadays). Funny thing is, he's by far the best actor in the picture. Everyone else is just cringe-inducingly awful. The movie as a whole might have actually been watchable, if it weren't for the painfully stereotypical Jew performance by Arnold Stang, who dominates much of it. The film has Schwarzenegger (dubbed Arnold Strong) doing Schwarzenegger-ish activities like weightlifting, throwing cars around and getting into various fights. What would you do if you ran into a 22 year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger and he was annoying you? Start a fight? Well, if you're in this movie, that's what you do. It happens like ten times.

Great for a laugh...

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 26 September 2009]

This is a very bad film--there's no denying this. Imagine having a young Arnold Schwarzenegger (whose command of English was MUCH worse than when he did his movies in the 1980s) playing a Greek god who comes to New York for a few laughs! Now the concept COULD have actually worked--if the leading man hadn't been barely cognizant of the English language. And, had the writers not been chimpanzees, the story could have been turned into a cute little tongue-in-cheek tale. But, in the end, through total incompetence, it's a dreadful movie. BUT, for people who like watching stupid films and laughing at them, then they are in for a treat with HERCULES IN NEW YORK!

The film begins in a very minimalistic Mount Olympian headquarters for the gods. Including the cost of the pillars, I think the set was created for about $47.50. Well, in this sketchy looking layout, the gods are all standing around when Hercules announces he's bored and wants to go back to Earth. Zeus forbids him and they argue. Ultimately, Zeus tosses him out of the sky onto the earth and from here on Hercules has a lot of adventures. For the most part, Schwarzenegger plays the role like he's a lovable moron...goofy and looking a bit like Jethro Bodine when he first went to the big city! Among the exciting(?) adventures he has are various wrasslin' matches, fighting an escaped bear (a guy in one of the worst bear suits I've ever seen) and hanging out with Arnold Stang--a man who has somehow learned to talk entirely through his nose. I'd tell you more about the story, but really don't think it's all that important. Suffice to say, Jethro runs around New York (often with no shirt) and gets into wacky trouble.

As far as the research for the writers goes, I think they'd have been better off if they'd read a few comic books or asked the average high school student for advice. When it comes to knowing even the basic information about the Greek gods, they often got is completely wrong--mixing Greek and Roman names for the gods again and again (for example, Juno, Venus and Hercules are Roman names and Zeus and Nemesis are Greek) as well as having little understanding (or care) about the gods themselves (Mercury was NOT Hercules' brother, Pluto was NOT the Devil nor did he live in Hell, etc., etc.). In addition, at the end of the film, Samson (from the Old Testament) and Atlas (whose job it is to hold the Earth) come to the rescue!

There are also two versions of this film. Traditionally, the version most have seen has a dubbed voice for Arnold, as he's occasionally barely comprehensible. But, this is also really silly as the voice is very robotic and obviously not his. This is the case with the version posted on IMDb (though, oddly, this version also lacks music and many basic sound effects). For those wanting to see and hear Arnold, the DVD has the original restored voice--but won't give you the option to hear either one. Additionally, at the end, when he talks to Stang from the radio, it's NOT Arnold's voice but that of the robot-dude.

Overall, the film was a shoddy and silly mess. But there was a certain goofiness that make it fun to watch despite its many, many obvious shortcomings. Not a good film at all, but fun to watch if you need a laugh.

Arnold's First

[superman002100 · 10/10 · 15 August 2003]

I don't know if it wasn't meant to be but this movie is hilarious. How can you downgrade a movie that offers Arnold in his true form, no facial expressions, an accent that can hardly be understood, and muscles on top of muscles. If you have seen the DVD version you can watch the movie with his voice, which makes all the difference in the world, if you're an Arnold fan that is. My personal favorite is, "I do nots care abouts ze zundaboats." I don't think that line can ever be topped. And who can not laugh at the New York traffic sounds on Mt. Olympus. This movie may be the most underbudget, worst film of all time, but it's Arnold and it's great for a laugh. If stupid things make you laugh then this movie is a must.

Author! Author!

[culwin · 3/10 · 4 September 1999]

Wow, this movie has to be seen to be believed! I can't believe that Arnold "Pretzie" Stang was overlooked AGAIN by the Academy! A finer piece of work I have not seen! Except perhaps by that guy in the bear suit. Now that was some great acting as well.

Of course, this is all from the perspective of being drunk, which is what you would have to be to like this movie! :P

Arnold VS. The Bear in Central Park.

[DarthVSith · 13 September 2004]

That scene is by far the funniest yet horrible scene in film legacy. Arnold is in a chariot with his date when somehow a bear is on the loose in Central Park. For no apparent reason he runs off to fight it. They cut to the bear, And it stands up. Clearly, you can imagine the trainer behind the camera saying "BEAR UP" and it stands up. Now when Arnold fights the bear, It is a man in a costume which looks like it was purchased in Harlem. The back of the mans neck is showing as clear as day while him (the bear) and arnold duke it out. The man is swinging his fists like a MILL. You just cant take your eyes off it. And if you do, you are missing out on the funniest man vs. man (in a animal costume) fight in Film PERIOD.

Hercules in New York is the ultimate comedy

[poldemol · 10/10 · 2 April 2005]

To me, it doesn't matter if things are intentionally or unintentionally funny. Intentions just don't matter that much in the real world. Hitler might have intended to make the world a better place, I don't think his intentions matter when you judge him. This is simply one of the most hilarious movies you'll ever see, it's filled with absurd scenes. And it's acted out to perfection. The combination of Arnie, and Pretzie, it's just magic. Pretzie overacts as badly as you can imagine, Arnie doesn't act and he does that as badly as you can imagine. But those aren't the only noteworthy performances in this movie. Check out the refinement of the screaming girl, in the infamous bear-attack scene. There are just so many little things in this movie, little details in every single aspect of this movie, that make this so extremely funny and entertaining. It just ignores even the most basic of things needed for a good movie, and it is exactly that, what makes this so good. Watch this movie, you won't be able to say that it is average, that's for sure. I've seen this movie 2 times, and I still regularly think about it. I would buy the DVD without a second thought if I would encounter it.

Goofy comedy with very early Arnie appearance

[funkyfry · 4/10 · 15 February 2003]

A film of at times incredible and hilarious ineptitude (scenes of the "gods" on Mount Olympus are interrupted constantly by the sounds of honking horns, which are often louder than the heavenly dialogue) saved to some extent by the sincere starring duo of Stang and Schwartzenneger (whose voice is dubbed in the theatrical version, perhaps unintentionally making this film funnier for those like myself who've seen more than a few Italian "pec epics").

Not a true action picture, more of an attempt at comedy that is more often funny against its intentions. Try to count how many times Arnie says "I am Hercules" (as if to convince HIMSELF that he's truly acting), and if you can make it to the end I'll give you a cracker or something.

You gotta love this film.

What a goofy film!

[gridoon · 3/10 · 31 July 2001]

Clumsy comedy with cheesy "special effects" (if you want to call them that) and a dumb storyline. Still, this could be considered something of a cult item today, because it feautures Arnold Schwarzenegger in his movie debut; he is already impressive-looking, and his voice is dubbed throughout by a man who sounds nothing like him! What saves this movie from the lowest possible rating is its lack of pretension; the people involved in it must have known that they were making a bad movie and didn't try to hide it at all. For example, when Hercules fights a bear, there is no attempt to make the bear look even slightly real; it's all-too-obviously a man in a bear suit. (*1/2)

A hilariously horrendous hoot and a half

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 6 January 2011]

Legendary petulant strongman Hercules (an uproariously atrocious performance by Arnold Schwarzenneger in his first lead role) gets bored with Mount Olympus, so the cranky Zeus (essayed with eye-rolling hammy gusto by Ernest Graves) sends the powerful demi-god to Earth where he winds up in New York City. While in the Big Apple Hercules befriends excitable squirt Pretzie (a lively and funny portrayal by Arnold Stang, who's the best actor in the whole flick), becomes both a wrestler and a body builder, and mixes it up with a stereotypical bunch of no-count Italian Mafia types. Director Arthur Seidelman, working from a blithely inane script Aubrey Wisberg, relates the gloriously ludicrous story at a zippy pace and pitches all the dopey humor at an appropriately broad level. Gut-busting campy highlights include Arnold beating folks up as often as possible, Hercules overturning a cab because he has no money to pay the fare, Hercules duking it out with a bear that's obviously some poor zhlub in an unconvincing moth-eaten suit, a televised weightlifting competition with the boom mic constantly dipping into the frame, Hercules commandeering a chariot, and the priceless ending with Zeus coming to Earth as a Hasidic Jew (!). Arnold's extremely poor and frequently borderline incomprehensible elocution, the chintzy (far from) special effects (Zeus' thunder bolts look like they are made out of plastic), John Balamos' infectiously goofy'n'giddy Italian music score, and the sequences on Mount Olympus that were clearly shot in Central Park (you can even hear traffic noises in the background!) all further enhance the considerable hilarity of this absolutely sidesplitting cruddy riot.

"How dare you strike Hercules"

[NoeMan · 1/10 · 30 December 2004]

If I feel down, all I need to do is think of Arnie fighting the grizzly bear in Hercules in New York and it cracks me up. The grizzly bear is actually just some big guy wearing a Halloween costume, he even moves like a human. But thats not the silliest scene. Arnold also fights a group of sailors with a plank and throws them in the sea, the sound effects and horrible choreography in that scene is hilarious. I've got the version of this movie with Arnies real voice, and just hearing that makes this movie worth getting. But Arnold is not the worst actor in this movie, his partner, Arnold Stang is much worse. The Mafia is even this movie, well, three guys...played by actors who probably auditioned for The Godfather but didn't make it. Yeeeaaahhhh....

The "brilliant" theme song in this movie is played about 500 times.

I would give this movie a one, but it made me laugh...so I guess it deserves a 2. Hoo-Ya.

The funniest movie of all time!

[srobi280 · 10/10 · 23 March 2007]

Arnold Schwarzenegger. Way before he was Governor of California. Way before he was the Terminator. Before Conan. And yes, even before Pumping Iron. As a matter of fact, this was even before Arnold won a single Mr. Olympia, and was still only Mr. Universe. Arnold, age 23, is Hercules. In fact, he isn't credited as Arnold Schwarzenegger, but as "Arnold Strong". This movie, intentional or not, is one of the funniest, if not THE funniest movie of all time. The movie is extremely low budget, has horrendous acting, mind-blowingly sub-par special effects (even by the standards of 1970), and an overly-redundant soundtrack. Let's take a closer look.

Hercules is bored with life on Mt. Olympus. The movie starts off with Hercules complaining to Zeus, and telling him that he wants to leave. After a few minutes of back and forth arguing, Zeus gets angry enough at Hercules to throw one of his lightning bolts (which look like they were welded together in a junk-yard) at him, and in a puff of smoke (cheap special effects) he disappears. Turns out he has fallen to earth, somewhere in the middle of the ocean. On his way down, he passes by an airplane, on which an extremely crazy lady with a funny voice and an even funnier hat sees him as she looks out the window, and has a fit.

Here, he is picked up by a freighter, and tells the captain that "no man is superior to Hercules". He spends the rest of the voyage picking fights with the crew for no apparent reason. It is during this scene that John Candy makes his first ever (uncredited) appearance in his movie career. When the ship reaches New York, Hercules goes ashore, and is attacked by a group of hobos, who he takes care of with a wooden plank. This is where he meets "Pretzi", played by Arnold Stang. They hitch a cab ride, only to find out that Hercules has no money, because "Hercules needs no money". The cabbie tries to beat up Herc, who yells the hilarious line of "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HERCULES!", throws him in the bushes, and flips over his taxi.

Herc and Pretzi run off, and somehow end up in a playing field with college students training in discus, javelin, and far jump. Herc says "Zoze men don't ssrow it faaar enuff" and proceeds to humiliate the college students in all events. One hilarious part is when he takes his shirt off and does a titty-dance before throwing the javelin.

After this, Herc and Pretzi are invited to a college professor's house and are sitting in the living room with his smoking-hot daughter (Deborah Loomis). At this point, her friend comes in, and after an exchange of words, he punches Herc in the gut, to which he replies "YOU have strucked Hercules!" and hoists the young man into the air.

Hercules and the hottie end up dating. It is during their first date that they encounter an "escaped bear from the zoo", which is actually (quite conspicuously) a man in a bear costume. Herc pounds the bear into submission, with his girlfriend screaming in the background. This scene has to be one of the funniest in cinematic history. During one of their outings, Herc sees a poster of a Hercules movie, and in his outrage rips off his shirt in the middle of the street, starts posing, and demands to know "who gave zees imperzonator permission to imitate Herkooles!" Before long, Herc becomes a wrestler. Long story short, Pretzi is threatened by the mob to sign Herc over to them, and he does as he is told. Eventually, Herc goes up against "Monstro the Magnificent" in a weightlifting match, which he loses because Juno took away his powers. He gets jumped by the mob, and then its Atlas and Samson (yes, the biblical Samson) to the rescue. In the end, Herc goes back to Mt. Olympus.

For one to fully appreciate this movie, it must be watched with Arnold's real voice, although the dubbed version is great for laughs too. This movie is an absolute jewel. It is so horrible that it's great. It has an innocent charm to it as well, and one can't help but love it. Arnold's acting is virtually nonexistent, and he exhibits less emotion than when he played the Terminator. This is balanced out by Arnold Stang's constant over-acting. Deborah Loomis is smoking-hot, but her acting skills are below average. Hell, everyone's acting in this movie is below-average. This movie contains literally dozens of hilarious one-liners by Arnold. The Mt. Olympus scenes are all filmed in Central Park, and traffic can be heard in the background. You know what? I'm just going to stop here. There are too many hilarious things to list. Go watch it!

The horror...

[Dave-430 · 1/10 · 19 February 2006]

This is one of the worst movies of all time. The four-hundred-and-something witless souls who awarded this a 10 should be permanently banned from voting.

Forget that it was made on a shoe-string budget, and that at one point Arnold fights the worst bear costume in movie history; forget that he takes his shirt off in every other scene, often with zero motivation; forget that the Mount Olympus scenes are obviously shot in New York; forget even that the acting is of such monumental ineptitude that James Karen (one of the worst actors in "Return of the Living Dead") is far and away the finest thespian in sight. The fact that anybody invested as much as a nickel in a script that one monkey working for one hour could easily have done better is what really blows my mind. The premise is painfully stupid, and the execution of it is as heavy-handed and amateurish as anything you're likely to see. Most porn movies are produced with more consideration for plot.

I recommend "Hercules in New York" to anyone who likes to go to the dentist or enjoys a hard punch in the nose. This is an hour and a half of pure agony.

What a pumped up movie!

[jgray-2 · 10/10 · 5 March 2000]

I love it! Hercules in New York was the best laugh I've had in a long time! Reminds me of something my sister and I would have done with our old video camera. If you're in the mood for 100% cheese, this is your movie. Who directed this? Ed Wood?

So Bad...It's Spaghetti!

[meddlecore · 5/10 · 11 August 2020]

Having met his mother while on vacation, Zeus fathered the mighty Hercules (played here by Arnold Schwartzenegger as Arnold Strong aka Mr Universe, though, with a more tolerable voiceover for American audiences), who gives him nothing but trouble up on Mount Olympus.

So he smites him into the sea on Earth, where he is picked up by a ship from America.

They bring him into New York, where they try to force him to work in the port...but all they get are knuckle sandwhiches.

After fighting his way to freedom, he tries to steal a chariot (in the form of a forklift), before being whisked away by, Pretzy, a local bagel and pretzel hustler.

He takes Hercules to Central Park, where he exhibits a number of feats of strength- showing up anyone who dare challenge him.

A college recruiter has his eye on Hercules, and invites him over for drinks, where he becomes infatuated with his daughter.

Inevitably, he gets into a fight with her boyfriend, and wins himself a chance to take her out.

They go for a carriage ride in Cenral Park, just as a grizzly bear escapes from the zoo.

So, of course, he fights and subdues the beast...which is actually just a dude in a poorly designed bear costume.

The newspapers pick up on the story, so to exploit his newfound fame...they throw him into the (American) wrestling ring.

The mafia sees this and strongarms their way in to "sign him" so that they can cash in off his back.

Zeus, however, feels this brings him shame, and thus seeks to punish him further.

But the Goddesses of Olympus intervene in his favour.

So Mercury is sent to bring him back to the realm of the Gods.

Hercules, meanwhile, is living the tourist life...checking out the sights, sounds and tastes of the big apple.

Thus, when Mercury comes to fetch him, he refuses to return, as he's become accustomed to his new life on Earth.

Now, he risks the almighty wrath of Zeus' rage.

Zeus plans to send Hercules to hell with Pluto for 100 years as punishment, but Juno overrules him and tells his interlopers to leave Hercules down on Earth- where she plans to render him fully mortal...while sending Pluto to murder him.

But Pluto doesn't like to murder, so he concocts a scheme instead.

Knowing Hercules is set to face off against Monstro the Magnificent in a weightlifting competition on a tv variety show, while backed by the mafia, Pluto sets him up to take the fall, after placing a large bet against him.

Cue the chariot chase...and let hilarity ensue...

No divine intervation required (ok, well...maybe a little).

An absolute cheesefest from start to finish.

So bad...it's spaghetti!!!

5.5 out of 10.

HAhahahaa...

[fantastique53 · 10/10 · 17 January 2007]

If you think this movie isn't worth watching, then you obviously have no sense of humor. Stop taking life so seriously and go watch "Hercules Goes to New York." If you can't laugh at this movie and appreciate it for the horrible piece of seventies anti-porn money at work that it is, then perhaps something along the lines of, oh, we'll say that Mariah Carey movie put out a number of years ago, or perhaps a documentary on the Exxon Valdez disaster would be more up your alley. Either way, when you die, you'll be glad you saw it at least, or more likely, at most, once. It beats being mean to people. You also get to witness firsthand the glorious age before dubbing was perfected, and hear Arnold as you've never heard him before.

An Awkward Children's Movie

[breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com · 5/10 · 1 January 2012]

As a child, I have seen movies that really grab the viewer's attention and have lovable characters that make a lasting impression. Children's movies like Gumby: The Movie (1995), Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), and Space Jam (1996) all have the things a child could ask for. As for Hercules in New York, the film definitely made a lasting impression but on the weird side of things. Sponsored by the Tooniversal Company, this piece of cinema is fun to watch for nostalgia purposes only.

This is Arnold Schwarzenegger's first film debut as the man who is part god, and part human. The story starts off when he is up in Olympus where he wants to be sent down to Earth because he is tired of hanging around with the Gods. So he argues with his father Zeus, who gets so livid that he sends him down to New York. Wait a minute, Zeus didn't want Hercules mingling with humans, so why was he sent down to New York in the first place? Why was there even an argument? Whatever.

Along with Schwarzenegger is Arnold Stang, who plays a character called Pretzie, a wimpy man who carries a basket of pretzels in the first part of the film that he's seen. From there, he no longer holds a bag of pretzels, what a surprise. I will say, the actors picked for the roles of each character were picked accurately, but I'm not saying their acting is good. Stang plays as good wimpy character, and is funny to see his eyes bulge. Even Schwarzenegger is good as Hercules, but that's because of his physique and I assume that's really all he needed. That is one of the nostalgic points in this movie; Schwarzenegger's muscles. It's amazing to see how big he really was in the 70s. The other part that is nostalgic about this film is to see what SOME of New York looked like back then, but that's about all the viewer will get.

What makes this movie so awkward are how the scenes are done. There are moments where Hercules is supposed to be doing something extraordinary. Instead what he does looks cheaply done and the sound effects don't help. Hercules knocks (more like love-taps) a man into a bay, and the splashing water makes it sound like a pebble was tossed. What? Who would have thought these brutes were made of confetti? There's even a scene where Hercules fights a bear. Yes a bear, and it doesn't even look like a bear. The viewer will be able to tell that this is not a bear, but a person inside a bear suit. To make matters worse, Hercules attacks the bear by slapping it; yes slapping it. Schwarzenegger slapping? It's really ridiculous to see The Terminator (1984) beat up a bear so poorly.

As for the damsel in distress, Deborah Loomis, I have never heard so much screaming, almost as much as Kirsten Dunst in Spiderman (2002), if not more. My ears were ringing after hearing her. She even faints in once scene, and it didn't even look real. As for the music, which was composed by John Balamos, is not a whole lot better. I can't even tell what kind of instrument is used but it's not an orchestra I'll say that much. A lot of the music is the same and it sounds really corny. I'm really surprised Schwarzenegger has become such a box office hit by starting from this movie. This film obviously did not get him famous but if he had not auditioned for the role, we may not have any of the Terminator movies or Total Recall (1990), whatever. When the film finished, I was barely entertained and shocked to how bad the film was compared to its trailer. What shocks me even more is that the director of this film is still making movies today!

Hercules in New York is a very silly kid's movie that may not even entertain the smallest of ages. Much of the scenes in this film are stupid and the only thing that may catch the viewer's attention is Arnold Schwarzenegger's bulging biceps.

A film of staggering genius

[joshuasyoung-1 · 10/10 · 10 July 2010]

Don't let the awfulness of this film fool you. Arnold's first and greatest film is, in fact, one of the greatest of all time. Just as financial firms regularly turn losses into gains by multiplying their balance sheets by -1, this film uses awfulness as a deus ex machina to capture the profound depths of our mortal fallibility. Pretzie is the ultimate everyman, selling pretzels by the water and figuring out ways to nickel and dime everyone and pocket the loose book every now and then. But he gets into trouble and has moments of revelation and regret. Hercules' simplicity and god-like physique, as well as Monstro the Magnificent's lopsided hair cut, symbolize the yin and yang of life and death, bigness and smallness, truth and the GOP.

The frequent unfocusing of the shot shows that mankind's mind is frequently unfocused and Arnold's partially literate accent represents the garbled marbles we often use to express the inner desires of our hearts. On a daily basis we are tempted by god-like greatness but frequently fall short of the world's expectations for our bulbous necks and mountainous pecs. Hubris is a 1000lb barbell and it kills. So we are frail, so we must crawl.

Don't be a long shot plunger. We can not temporize the mighty Zeus. This film must be cherished.

Hercules in New York was a pretty bad movie though the actual Schwarzenegger's voice-dubbed version was the most interesting of the two

[tavm · 2/10 · 1 July 2011]

With today the day Maria Shriver officially files for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger (serves him right too since he betrayed her by cheating on her with the maid and had a baby with her, to boot!), I thought I'd watch the former Governator's first movie that he made way back in 1969-Hercules in New York. I saw two versions: the first that I watched on Hulu had no music score and Arnold's voice was badly dubbed by another though compared to his real one, you could hear each word clearly and the second one I saw on YouTube which had his accented voice not always easy to understand (which made his confused mix-up on "bucks" and "dough" with "bucs" and "doe" not as funny) though it had a good Greek-like score. The rating for the first version is above while the other take gets a 4 from me. Arnold is credited as Arnold Strong since, I guess, his co-star happens to be Arnold Stang. Stang is such a one-of-a-kind presence that he brightens most scenes he's in. The only other player I recognized was James Karen who I knew from Poltergeist as well from a guest spot on "The Golden Girls". By the way, when Stang died in December '09, I couldn't help but think of his other roles like the voice of Herman the mouse in those Herman and Katnip cartoons, his role as Frank Sinatra's friend in The Man with the Golden Arm, and his recent roles in "The Cosby Show" and Dennis the Menace. Oh, and while I knew one player couldn't be John Candy since this guy was much older but Abe Holiday on that dock sure looked like him. So on that note, Hercules in New York is interesting for the early role of Mr. Schwarzenegger, not to mention his thick accent, and not much else though one can't completely hate a movie where Hercules fights an obviously bear-suited man. P.S. It was disappointing to hear that dubbed actor again instead of Arnold on the radio at the end of the second version especially since it was much softer this time around.

Hercules in New York

[CinemaSerf · 4/10 · 30 May 2023]

Ha! This is hilarious. Arnold Schwarzenegger - going by the name of "Strong" on the titles, is the demigod son of Zeus (Ernest Graves) and he's bored hanging around Olympus keeping out of trouble. Finally his father loses his temper, hurls a thunder bolt at him and he ends up down on earth befriending the weedy "Pretzie" (Arnold Stang doing a vaguely Phil Silvers impersonation) and getting involved with some crooks who see his might as a meal ticket. What now ensues is just harmless, witless, fun with a confused mythology - Roman and Greek names for the gods are interchangeable; an Olympus that looks like the herb garden of an English stately home and luckily Arnie doesn't have to wrestle with ancient Greek, just with 1970s English. There can't have been much budget so don't be looking for visual effects or a tangy script - nope, none of that, just the future Governor of California looking almost cherubic in his spray-on shorts demonstrating the truthful nature of the American dream. Anyone can make it, however humble the beginnings.

Sounds like they have motor vehicles on ancient Mount Olympus, ha ha!

[Stevieboy666 · 6/10 · 17 September 2020]

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of my all time heroes, as a bodybuilder and as an actor. My first Arnie movie was Cactus Jack, not a great introduction to his movies! Hercules in New York was his first movie, at 22 he looks so young. But physically he looks incredible. This is a perfect opportunity to see him at this stage in his life, he frequently removes his top showing off his massive physique, plus of course plenty of muscle flexing. I know that this film got dubbed but thankfully my DVD actually has Arnie's real voice. He was nicknamed the Austrian Oak and acting doesn't come any more wooden than his performance here! His very thick Austrian accent is occasionally difficult to understand but I wouldn't have it any other way. Pairing up with Arnold Stang Herecules is a straight up comedy, silly and very cheap looking, but funny too. Shot entirely in New York the numerous scenes of the Gods and Goddesses on Mt. Olympus features the background sound of motor vehicles, very funny! Arnie versus the bear (man in bad suit) is one of the so bad it's funny scenes. I've seen most of Arnie's movies, The Terminator being my all time favourite movie, but this was my first time viewing Hercules. It is without question a bad movie but it has plenty of laughs and for fans of Arnie such as myself then it makes interesting viewing.

Just an above average film.

[sauravjoshi85 · 4/10 · 14 May 2023]

Hercules in New York is a fantasy-comedy film directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Late Arnold Stang, Deborah Loomis, Late James Karen and Late Ernest Graves.

Adventure ensues after Hercules moves to New York and learns that his ancient Greek lifestyle is not compatible with the modern life. To add to the woes, his father sends a few gods to bring him back.

The film is a cheesy and gets clumsy sometime but still the film entertains and apart from the poorly executed climax the major part of the film will not disappoint you.

The film which is the debut film of Arnie has a decent plot and more than an average execution, we know that the film is a B Grade film with budgetary constraints but still the film could've been made little better.

Acting is average to decent and apart from Arnold Stang all of them looked average to terrible.

Screenplay of the film is decent to average and has some of the entertaining moments. Climax of the film is terrible and if the climax would've been more refined the film could've been much better. Can be watched once.

A comedy classic.

[noisyjam · 8/10 · 7 August 2000]

Many people have asked how and why I like this movie. The answer is that it is so bad, it's good. Yes it is probably one of the worst movies of all time, but the films many short comings make it extremely funny. If you don't believe a movie can be so bad it's good, avoid this film with a barge pole. If however, like me, you do, this is a comical classic. The plot, music and acting are terrible. Arnie is dubbed, and heaven looks suspiciously like central park. How this got made, I don't know, just be grateful it did.

Magnificently bad, a work of art

[rvnc · 10/10 · 15 September 2006]

The tag 'it's so bad, it's good' is banded around too much but this is one film which truly embodies that sentiment. From a serious cinematic view it's appalling in every category, but at the same time it may be the funniest film ever made because of it. I watched it on recommendation recently and it had me stitches. There's so much to laugh at and so many hilariously stupid sequences that this is required and essential viewing for anyone. Regardless of whether the comedy is intentional or not, it's one of the most entertaining films ever.

p.s If you thought Arnie was bad in the 80's and 90's you should see him here. He's clearly trying his hardest, but he's so bad it makes you wonder if it's deliberate. I've seen slabs of concrete with better acting skills than this.

Started from the bottom now we here

[Stay_away_from_the_Metropol · 4/10 · 16 April 2020]

Is it really that bad? Yes. It is.

The version they currently have streaming on Amazon Prime (it's April 2020, one month into the global quarantine) is the version that was otherwise unavailable throughout history. It is the version with the original audio with Arnold's voice. Now, I don't want to have to watch this movie again, but I at least need to see some of the version with the voice dubs at some point - all of the 10/10 reviews I've seen are of people being stoked about how bad the voiceovers are. I feel like I've missed out.

That aside, this movie fully sucks. I found it quite endearing for the first 20-30 minutes. It was quirky and cute, and fun to see Arnold give his acting debut, but after 30 minutes... there's almost no cohesive story at all, and the co-star ARNOLD STANG as PRETZY THE PRETZEL GUY, who is in almost every scene, is UNBEARABLE. He's like a cartoon version of Woody Allen who tries to be funny but isn't, ever. There are a couple standout scenes, like when Hercules fights "a bear" in Central Park, LOL.... but, The last hour is VERY difficult to enjoy. It just meanders and even Arnold can't save it. I guess I understand why Arnold wouldn't allow this movie to be played on broadcast television, ever.