Movie Music: Fernando Velasquez's "Hercules" (2014)

I almost didn't go see Hercules (2014) in the theater.  I tend to enjoy Dwayne Johnson's movies, but I don't know a lot about the Greek gods and goddesses, and the trailers for this didn't really grab me. But I'm glad I did go see it, because it turned out to be a truly fun movie -- not serious, but not too cheesy, either. In fact, I went to see it twice, and ended up buying the DVD too! 

You can read my review of Hercules here, and I wrote a Femnista article about it, which you can read here.

Fernando Velasquez's music fits the movie incredibly well, with lots of gutsy action stuff, bold and epic. Hands-down, my favorite track is "Arrival at Lord Cotys' City." It's full of swagger and bravado, and makes me want to hop in a chariot and do a victory lap around the city.

But I also really like "The Lion's Tooth" because it's a complete change of pace from most of the other tracks. It's soft and tender, a quiet moment in the middle of all the mayhem. I like soundtracks that don't sound all the same all the time -- variety is important! Even a big, brawny action movie needs some quiet time, and I like the soundtrack to reflect that too.

Have you seen Hercules?  If so, did you also get the biggest kick of how they made his mythical labors believable?  I find it so, so clever.

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on May 21, 2015.)