Sword and Sandal meets SF with the expected results. Some decent laughs along the way.
The Moon Men have landed. They’re inside Mt.Samara outside the village of Samara ruled by Queen Samara. That makes it easy. Every full moon the village’s young people are led to the mountain to be sacrificed. Since the Moon men have been there forever it’s strange the village hasn’t run out of people. Then again, you don’t watch this stuff for logic.
Gladius is the adviser to the Queen. He’s had it up to here with the goings on. He tells the Queen he knows someone who can take care of business. She wants nothing to do with that. She’s got her own agenda. Now she gets word that Gladius sent for Hercules anyway.
On her orders soldiers waylay Hercules (Sergio Ciani aka/Alan Steel) outside of town. Bad mistake. Even though he looks like he missed a few months at the gym he dispatches them without breaking a sweat or even losing some oil. Gladius’ daughter Agar shows Hercules how to get into the village. Later Agar and Gladius are overheard by the Queen plotting to stop the sacrifices, She has them followed as they head to meet Hercules and the conspirators.
Gladius and Hercules go through a secret passage. It’s not so secret and Gladius is killed and Hercules is dropped into a pit that fills with water. Agar is somewhere way behind. Having had enough of a bath Hercules breaks out only to run into..whatever it is. He makes quick work of it.
Rudolphis,the leader of The Moon men appears before the Queen and warns her to get her act together is she wants to rules what’s left of the Earth after the Moon closes in and ruins almost everything. She has twenty-four hours to get her half sister Billis to the Mountain Of Death. The Moon’s Queen Selene is out of it and needs a transfusion. Since they could be twins Billis has to be the lucky one to provide blood. Nobody told Billis.
Billis has her own agenda. She wants to marry Samara’s cousin, Prince Darix. The Queen seems agreeable but first…Darix has to go on a mission for peace talks. He doesn’t know it’s all fake to get him out of town and make sure he doesn’t come back. Naive Billis doesn’t have a clue. Hercules finds out and heads out of town to rescue him.
Hercules doesn’t get to him before Darix gets an arrow in the shoulder. He manages to defeat another small army and get him back to tavern owner Tirteo’s place to heal up. Meanwhile Agar and Hercules are giving each other “The Look.”
Of course Hercules is captured by the bad guys and Samara invites Agar to watch him die in a scene that takes forever. Now he has to face his deadliest foe yet…Samara’s love potion. There’s trouble now as Hercules recommends the death penalty for Darix and Agar.
The movie comes to a slam bang ending but it’s a boring ride getting there. There’s fifteen minutes of sleep worthy film and then it finally steps up. If nothing else this movie will awaken your inner comedian.
One note. In the original Italian-French production the character was called Meciste. That name was used in other movies for the son of Hercules. They thought American audiences wouldn’t have a clue about the name and decided to go with Hercules.
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