hercules is an american 2014 action-adventure-fantasy film. directed by brett ratner, it stars dwayne johnson, ian mcshane, rufus sewell and john hurt and is based off the graphic novel "hercules: the thracian wars". it was released on july 25, 2014 and was one of two movies released in 2014 which were about the mythical warrior, the other being the legend of hercules; unlike the former, this film gained mixed to positive critical reviews and was a box office success.