Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The Three Stooges Meet HerculesWhen time traveling back to ancient Greece, remember to bring back plenty of autographs.The morons in this comedy, however, rewrote history instead.Moe (Moe Howard) Larry (Larry Fine) and Curly Joe (Joe DeRita) become chummy with their neighbour, Schuyler (Quinn Redeker), who just built a time machine.Schuyler, the Stooges and Schuyler's girlfriend Diane (Vicki Trickett) take the machine back to ancient Ithaca.Accidentally altering history along the way, Schuyler and the Stooges are exiled to the galleys by the new King Odius (George N. Neise), who wishes to take Diane for his wife.But the boys and their benefactor plot to depose of the wrongful ruler with help from Hercules (Samson Burke).The Stooges' third feature film, this Herculean outing may lack the original lineup but it's not short on their asinine antics.Furthermore, if the Three Stooges rewrote history, universal heath care would have to be mandatory. Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

"The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" is considered by many Stooge fans to be the best feature film the boys ever made, and while it is not my personal favorite Stooge feature, I do concur that this film is quite excellent. Wonderfully directed by Edward Bernds, with a very good music score by Paul Dunlap, this film is a time-travel adventure story, with Moe, Curly-Joe, and Larry cast as pharmacists who help their friend Schuyler Davis (Quinn Redeker) with his bizarre space-time conveyor. Schuyler, his girlfriend Diane (Vicki Trickett), and the Stooges all take a trip from New York back to Ancient Greece, approximately 900 B.C.My favorite scenes from "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" include the following (DON'T read any further if you haven't yet seen this picture). At the pharmacy, Larry and Curly-Joe try to concoct their own elixirs, and they make a huge mess instead; particularly funny is Larry's act of accidentally hitting Moe in the back of the head with a flying bottle. Familiar Stooges character actor Emil Sitka has a small but humorous part as a shepherd who gives confusing directions. The Stooges clumsily attempt to break Ulysses (John Cliff) out of jail (reminiscent of the Stooges' earlier 1947 short "Out West"). When the boys try to repair Schuyler's time machine, they accidentally set off some fireworks. The Stooges disguise themselves as women when they find themselves in a women's bathing area, but their disguises don't last very long. On the galley ship, the Stooges overpower their captors, and Larry & Curly-Joe dance around the ship while Moe bangs the slave master's drum."The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" is a very enjoyable feature-length comedy. The supporting cast consists mostly of unknowns, but they do first-rate work. In addition to Quinn Redeker, Vicki Trickett, and Emil Sitka, there are Samson Burke as the mighty Hercules, Gene Roth (who appeared in various earlier Stooge shorts with both Shemp and Joe as the third Stooges) as a harbor captain, and George N. Neise as two lecherous heels: Ralph Dimsal (head of the pharmacy where the Stooges & Diane work) and Odius (the undeserving king of all Ithaca).

This is one of the best of all the later '60s feature films to star the enduring comedy trio. It succeeds admirably because Moe, Larry and Curly Joe are kept up front of the proceedings and it doesn't hurt at all (except perhaps for them when they get smacked around) that the comedy is consistent and faithful to what we expect from seeing all those old Stooge shorts. Despite their advancing ages, the "boys" hit all their marks perfectly and never do we get the impression that we're dealing with men well into their sixties. The Stooges are pharmacy workers who get a hold of a time traveling device (it doesn't matter how or why) and find themselves in ancient times where they face a lot more than just Hercules. For such a film, the production looked more expensive than it probably was, and I had to smile at the winks to BEN-HUR. *** out of ****

I came to this film NOT a big fan of the stooges. Having said that I laughed myself silly at it. Unlike a typical Stooges short, it has a plot, actual jokes, and some interesting casting. Though they are long in the tooth in this film, they perform admirably. Keeping their fine physical humor (which doesn't usually send me, but it is well used here) and adding some fun word play and situational humor. The supporting cast is quite able and the production qualities are higher than I normally associate with the stooges work.I ran across this while waiting at my doctor's office for some paperwork and stayed around to see how it all worked out. I laughed out loud in public several times. I will seek it out, as I own, nor have been interested in owning anything by the Stooges. This may be among their best work. This is one I'll buy.Good stuff.