Hercules (1997) - Movie Synopsis & Plot

The story begins with a blessed event on Mount Olympus, the heavenly home of the Greek gods, as Zeus and his wife Hera throw a palatial party to celebrate the arrival of their newborn son, Hercules. The tike's strength is enormous, as evidenced by his vice-like grip and a propensity for tossing around his father's lightning bolts. As a special gift, Zeus presents his son with a loyal companion named Pegasus - a winged horse created from cloud formations. Everyone is in a jolly mood except for one gloomy guest named Hades. This disgruntled god, who hates his job as Lord of the Underworld, is tired of hanging around with a bunch of deadbeats and has been secretly plotting a hostile takeover of Mount Olympus.

Back in the Underworld, the fiery Hades commiserates with his two dim-witted and demonic, shape-changing sidekicks, Pain and Panic, and consults with the Fates, a trio of wizened women who use a common eyeball to gaze into the future, to find out what impact Hercules may have on his plans. They tell him that in 18 years the planets will align and the time will be right to unleash the Titans and topple Zeus. They add: "A word of caution to this tale; should Hercules fight, you will fail." Not wanting to tempt the Fates, Hades dispatches Pain and Panic to Mount Olympus to abduct the child, give him a potion which would render him mortal and then dispose of him. But after bringing Baby Hercules to Earth, the sidekicks bungle their mission and fail to administer the last few drops of the potent "Grecian formula," which leaves the infant with god-like strength but human mortality. Figuring that Hades will be none the wiser, Pain and Panic take off and Hercules is found by a mortal couple, Amphitryon and Alcmene, who raise him as their own.

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