DeepSummary
The podcast episode begins with a discussion of the 1983 sci-fi fantasy film Hercules starring Lou Ferrigno. The hosts and guests analyze various aspects of the movie, including the bizarre special effects, the dubbing of Ferrigno's voice, and the nonsensical plot elements that blend Greek mythology with elements of Christianity and science fiction.
The group extensively discusses moments from the film that they found particularly memorable or baffling, such as Hercules throwing a bear into space to create the Ursa Major constellation, the depiction of the gods residing on the moon, and the slow-motion sequences that seemed to pad the runtime. They also comment on the campiness of the costumes and sets, and the peculiar lack of sexual energy from Hercules despite his muscular physique.
The participants share their overall impressions of the film, with some finding it entertainingly bad and others struggling to derive enjoyment from its incoherence. They debate whether the movie would be enhanced by watching it under the influence of psychedelics and discuss its surprisingly successful box office performance compared to other films released that year.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The 1983 film Hercules starring Lou Ferrigno is widely regarded as an incoherent and poorly made movie, blending Greek mythology with elements of Christianity and science fiction in a nonsensical manner.
- Despite its low production values and bizarre plot elements, the film has garnered a cult following for its campiness and unintentional humor.
- The film features memorable moments such as Hercules throwing a bear into space to create the Ursa Major constellation, the depiction of the gods residing on the moon, and excessive use of slow-motion sequences.
- The costumes and set designs in the film are often ridiculed for their poor quality and peculiar choices, such as accentuating the characters' crotch areas.
- Lou Ferrigno's voice was dubbed over in the film, leading to an awkward disconnect between his muscular physique and the voice provided.
- While some viewers find the film's incoherence endearing or entertaining when under the influence of psychedelics, others struggle to derive enjoyment from it.
- The film performed surprisingly well at the box office despite its low budget and poor critical reception, perhaps due to Ferrigno's popularity as the Incredible Hulk.
- The participants debate whether the film would have been more enjoyable if Ferrigno had used his own voice or if the production values had been higher.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “For some reason, everybody's costume, it's like the costume designer made the choice. Like, the main choice was like, crotch. Like, that was the choice. They were like, let's start with the crotch. Move out from there.“ by Leslye Headland
- “It also didn't seem to be shot in 48, though. It seemed to be have to be shot normally and then just slowed down later.“ by Leslye Headland
- “I walked out of it as a child. I wished I could have walked out of it today while watching it. No, I would say this is not necessarily as fun as I would have liked it to. To be. It was. It was. Maybe I would watch it in a fast forwarding manner.“ by Jason Mantzoukas
Entities
Company
Person
Movie
Product
Tv series
Episode Information
How Did This Get Made?
Earwolf and Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
6/24/24