Lawbolisted Powerful

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Michael_Elliott Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules (1962) ** (out of 4)Maciste (Reg Lewis), the son of Hercules, is wondering around when he runs into two members of a tribe that worships the Sun. They are being attacked by large fire breathing monster so Maciste kills it. Flash forward and the Moon worshipers are starting to kidnap the women from the Sun tribe so they go to Maciste for help.FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES, the American title of this Italian movie, isn't a film that is meant to be taken serious. Outside of the Mario Bava film HERCULES IN A HAUNTED WORLD, this is the first in the series that I've seen and from the start I couldn't help but think of the Toho Godzilla series with the poor dubbing and rather silly special effects. Of course, I'm sure many people would say the only way to fully enjoy this or even judge it is by watching the original Italian cut but I don't have that available.As far as this American edit goes, I thought it was actually entertaining as long as you don't expect too much from it. The performances are pretty much what they are and it's certainly hard to judge them with the atrocious accents and dubbing. Poor Maciste appears to be dubbed by someone simply holding their breathe. The film does contain quite a bit of action, which helps keep it move at a nice pace and it's certainly never boring.As for the title monster, it's a real doozy and appears to have been made from supplied bought at a dollar store. Yes, it looks incredibly cheap and silly but it somewhat adds to the charm.

smittie-1 Another one of the erstwhile "Sons of Hercules" films by Embassy Pictures. This time the American dub turns Maciste into "Maxus," Son of Hercules. We get the usual super cool theme song tacked on by Embassy and a really goofy dub for Reg Lewis, who sounds like two different guys depending on the scene. And (owing to the crappy print quality) his ridiculous pompadour looks orange! All in all, a bizarre beefcake lead for this prehistoric adventure. This is old school cavemen stuff, with a papier mache volcano, foam boulders, and four, count 'em FOUR monsters - a lake monster, a multi headed hydra, one forced perspective monitor lizard, and a cave dragon! Not a bad haul! I love the dragons in peplum films. No fancy special effects processes, just a giant, immobile wood frame draped in canvas. Maybe the head(s) moves, and a little fire comes out, and then Hercules throws a stick at it and it falls over in all its inarticulate glory and some blood pours out the mouth.This is one of those mythic peplum entries where the strongman ignores the boundaries of space and time to just go wherever the hell he wants in order to fight for what is right. In this case, Maxus defends a tribe of peaceful prehistoric sun worshipers from their aggressive, subterranean, moon worshiping neighbors. The peaceful tribe are basically a bunch of naive innocents, and Maxus runs around saving these dopey people from themselves. The action is spiked with the occasional monster highlight, and a third act volcanic eruption that plays as a low budget version of the climax to ONE MILLION YEARS BC, still four years to come.You just can't go wrong with a fun film like this. It's cheap, it's cheerful, and Margaret Lee makes for one saucy cave dweller. By the time the theme song swells for THE END, you'll be blissfully humming along, awaiting the next adventure of THE SONS OF HERCULES!Heed the words of Maxus: "Don't forget to defend yourselves from wild animals!"

wes-connors "A hydra is threatening the countryside and the people are terrified for their lives. The people's only hope of survival rests with Maxus, a powerful man who has the strength of many men. Before Maxus can battle the multi-headed monster, he must face other challenges in order to prove himself worthy and to prepare for the fateful battle," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.Actually, the story mainly involves a struggle between two pre-historic tribes: the "Good" or "Sun" worshipers, and the "Bad" or "Moon" worshipers. The "Sun" tribe of Nomads has decided to settle and live in peace; but, they pick land claimed by nearby "Moon" worshiping Cavemen. Bodybuilder Reg Lewis (as Maciste, or Maxus in English) does not belong to any tribe; however, he bonds with "Sun" leader Luciano Marin (as Idar), after saving him (and his woman) from a sea monster. The plot thickens when Mr. Lewis and "Moon" tribe woman Margaret Lee (as Moah) fall in love.In English, misleadingly reproduced as "Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules". The English dubbing is dreadful; in a couple of scenes, two completely different voices dub Lewis. The bleached-blond muscleman throws cavemen around, and poses. Mr. Marin essays his part better than others; but, considering the shoddiness of the production, it's a wasted effort. The best part of the movie is the added-on TV theme song, "The (Mighty) Sons of Hercules". *** Maciste contro i mostri (4/25/62) Guido Malatesta ~ Reg Lewis, Margaret Lee, Luciano Marin

PrincessAnanka Forget the papier mache monsters and the terrible costumes of the cast. Feast your eyes on Mae West's favorite muscle hunk--Reg Lewis--in his only foray into the explosion of muscle men movies made in Italy during the early 60s. Lewis had a glorious, muscled body that was full and sensuous. Beautifully portioned, there was nothing lean or overly chiseled on this Adonis. With his hair bleached blonde, this enhanced his sexy personae and his mouth was both cynical and humorous. I loved the brief, hip-baring loincloth he wore since nearly all the musclemen from that area kept their loin clothes securely wrapped around their waists. Lewis exuded a raw masculinity, especially when he's with his heroine, who wastes no time climbing into those brawney arms for a deep kiss. No wonder Mae West was nuts about him. My only complaint is there's not enough of Lewis since so much of the film is devoted between the battles of two warring tribes, neither of whom boasts any hot looking hunks. In fact, I think they were chosen for their flat chested looks so that Lewis would appear heroic in comparison and that he does in spades. Perhaps Lewis was dismayed by the very low budget of this movie and the rubber hydra they devised for his mighty battle underwater. We can only wish Italian producers had found something worthy to showcase his sexy torso like they did with Steve Reeves in "Giant of Marathon" in which he appears nearly naked in most of this vastly entertaining swords and sandals epic.