Roy Hart
If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Wizard-8
I am not sure why this particular Hercules movie was retitled "Hercules and the Captive Women", when my recollection is that there is only one woman who is held captive in the entire movie. Anyway, I feel I should admit that though I love Italian genre cinema normally, these sword and sandal movies I generally find to be easily dismissed, including this particular one. Reg Park does make an okay Hercules, and there are some solid production values here and there. But the script is both messy and a real slog to sit through at times. There's far too much talk and not enough action. And the movie seems to be moving from one plot point to another in an almost random fashion - there's very little connecting one plot turn to another. The writers should have had a very clear vision from start to finish before they started typing on their typewriters. If you do decide to watch this movie despite my warning, search hard for a good print, because the public domain prints out there are so rough-looking at times that some scenes are next to impossible to make out.
Leofwine_draca
An epic peplum adventure film. considered by many to be one of the best of its genre - it's certainly the one of the most beautifully-shot and well-made of them all, with colourful locations and crisp, gorgeous locations, plus interesting costume design and great sets. Made on an obviously bigger budget than most, this is a delightful film which is gorgeous to look at and should appeal to children and adults alike. While some of the special effects may seem cheesy to a modern crowd, they nonetheless contain an air of spectacle and magic that later, more complex special effects work couldn't hope to capture. The plot is predictable stuff involving an evil queen (as always) who rules over the lost city, but is enlivened with imaginative scenes like an army of identical men and an excellent scene where Hercules battles a shape-shifting god, Proteus.Reg Park, star of HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD, once again reprises the role of the legendary Hercules who is actually based on myth for a change, instead of just being another Italian musclemen. His Hercules is an exceptionally lazy brute who can hardly be bothered to take part in the action when it happens - a deeply flawed character who still manages to come through in the end. This gives his character an added dimension, making him more of an interesting lead. Although Park's acting skills are severely limited as always, he more than makes up for this with his impressive bulk.Initially the film is pretty slow, with lots of court intrigue following on from an excellent staged bar-room brawl with lots of props being smashed. However, when Hercules and his pals set sail to conquer an unknown foe, the fun really begins. He's accompanied by a not-too-irritating dwarf sidekick known as Timoteo, his weakling son and King Androcles, a mutual friend who is desperate for the strongman's help. When the crew of cut-throats attempt mutiny, Hercules singlehandedly pulls the boat back to shore! Just one of the many incredible feats of strength portrayed throughout the movie, which include the usual bar-bending, rock-throwing, and guard-fighting action, all well-done.Things start getting eerie when Androcles and Hercules are both swept overboard during a freak storm. Hercules wakes up floating on a raft in a sea of mist (very impressively done) and sees a vision of Androcles crying out for help. He discovers a weird red island and a girl melded into the rock face (a very weird, not 100% successful special effect). Holding her captive (hence the title) is Proteus, a shape-shifting god who assumes the form of a lizard man (cheesy but cool), burning flames, a huge snake, a lion and an eagle. Hercules must fight each incarnation in turn before ripping off the lizard man's horn, killing the God for good. He rescues a girl, an Italian stunner as usual, and discovers the lost island of Atlantis hidden behind a sea mist.Atlantis is ruled by the lovely-but-cruel Queen Antinea, who repeatedly attempts to kill her daughter due to a prophecy which says she will only die when her daughter is freed. Hercules meets Androcles but is stunned to discover the man has a whole new personality, and is convinced that he has been living in Atlantis for years! Meanwhile his shipwrecked fans hide out on the island and rescue the Queen's daughter from a certain death. Hercules is initially seduced by the Queen but breaks free from her spell and frees a pit of slaves on the island. A battle ensues which leaves the slaves massacred, and in a great pan we see the littered corpses strewn around the steps of the palace - a sudden, solemn and surprisingly affecting moment.Hercules and his son are taken prisoner in the palace and thrown into a memory-loss room but manage to escape by lifting the rapidly-lowering ceiling! Hercules battles with an army of super-strong identical soldiers (great scene) and escapes to a nearby mountain. He tears a rock from the roof, whereby a shaft of sunlight hits the evil man-changing rock of death and causes the dormant volcano to erupt. Hercules and his friends escape by ship as the city is destroyed behind them, buried under tons of rubble.I love the way they throw every cliché in the book (and a few surprises) into this film. For example the guard who has failed in his job and who is thrown into an acid pit, turning into a skeleton! Or Antinea's attempt to drug Hercules who is so obviously keeping the liquid in his mouth. There's an expected dance-sequence, a man who kills by swinging rocks, and some weird distorted computer sound effects thrown into the brew for good measure. The supporting cast is excellent, with Luciano Marin and Ettore Manni as strong supporting leads, the friends of Hercules; Fay Spain as the wicked, self-obsessed queen, and the beautiful Laura Efrikian as the queen's unlucky daughter. Mario Petri turns up in a small role as an Atlantan priest who helps Hercules on his quest.HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN is a film packed with spectacle, like the wild scene where Hercules decimates the Queen's guard by propelling a burning chariot into their midst! Or the excellent moment where he fights the magic shape-shifter. There's also the surprising plot twist where you expect an exciting battle scene to occur but the film instead cuts to the dark vision of a bloody massacre - not what you are expecting at all. Sure, the film is cheesy with copious, poorly-inserted stock footage of a volcano eruption popping up at the climax, but its all in good spirit. One of the highlights of the genre and a must-see slice of spectacular Italian exploitation.
Mike_Noga
Reg Park is perhaps the stockiest of the screen Hercules's(Herculae?) and swaggers, flexes and grunts his way through this film with beefy élan'. Fay Spain makes a great evil queen, the equal of any Disney villainess. The feisty midget kicks a$$ as a feisty midget.The movie has a lot of interesting themes that translate into a fun movie. It has a shape changing wizard,intrigue, a magic rock, an evil queen, Atlantis, a master race of ultimate warriors, stock footage of volcanic eruptions and a feisty midget. And lots of loose talk about the "Power of Uranus". As a matter of fact an entire nation worshipped Uranus. But to no avail. The ingredients are there and the result is a fine peplum of the first order.
