Kevin Sorbo Movies

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Iolaus (Michael Hurst) plunge into a parallel dimension reminiscent of a certain modern superhero's "bizarro" world. In this strange land, Hercules is a despotic ruler named "The Sovereign" (also played by Kevin Sorbo); the brave Iolaus is a weak-kneed court jester; warrior princess Xena (Lucy Lawless) is the Sovereign's cuddly consort; surly god of war Ares (Kevin Smith) is the charmng god of love; and hedonistic goddess of love Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) is the prudish Queen of the Gods. In their efforts to prevent the Sovereign from killing Zeus, the "real" Hercules and Iolaus must hark back to the earlier story arc involving the demigod Serena (aka "The Golden Hind"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Upon seeing Hades' sister Celesta (Belinda Waymouth), the embodiment of death, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) sorrowfully realizes that his old friend Jaris (Colin Moy) is about to die. With one day of life left in him, Jaris, a self-appointed vigilante, intends to kill as many local criminals as time allows -- including the members of a tough street gang. The only way Hercules can stop this one-man murder wave is to make a startling confession predicated upon a tragic incident in his youth. Ian Bohen makes his first series appearance as the younger Hercules. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season four of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys adheres to the basic premise of the previous three seasons: Half-god, half-human Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) continues to spread good will and good deeds throughout the known world, accompanied by his mortal friend Iolaus (Michael Hurst), aided and abetted by various and sundry gods, demigods, and humans and antagonized by an equivalent number of villains, chief among them the Queen of Gods, Hera (played this season by Meg Foster), who is still determined to destroy her stepson Hercules as a means of getting even with her husband (and Hercules' father) Zeus (Roy Dotrice). That said, the fourth season offers a number of entertaining diversions and digressions, beginning with the first episode, "Beanstalks and Bad Eggs," which incredibly but successfully transposes the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale to the milieu of Greek Mythology. Other episodes in this irreverent vein include "And Fancy Free," a musical spoof of the recent theatrical feature "Strictly Ballroom," in which series regular Michael Hurst, normally cast as the virile Iolaus, has a high old time in the "drag" role of dance instructor Widow Twankey (a character who would continue to show up in future installments); "Men in Pink," an outrageous parody of Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, focusing on the two larcenous recurring characters Salmoneus (Robert Trebor) and Autolycus (Bruce Campbell); and perhaps best of all, "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Hercules," set in modern-day Hollywood, in which the production staff of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (played in mufti by several of the series' semi-regulars) frantically cast about for a replacement when their star Kevin Sorbo (playing himself, sort of) suddenly vanishes. The most spectacular digression from the series' "norm" is manifested in "Stranger in a Strange World," the first of several episodes set in a bizarre parallel dimension, wherein the personalities of the various Hercules characters are radically altered -- and not always for the better.

While it is pleasant to see the normally belligerent war god Ares (Kevin Smith) as a benignly sexy stud, for example, it is disturbing to witness Hercules "morph" into a despotic dictator known as The Sovereign. The cast's visits to this parallel universe would increase in subsequent episodes, with some fascinating interpolations and crossovers. A few new characters make their first appearances during this season, among them the appropriately named Discord (Meighan Desmond), troublesome handmaiden of the malevolent Ares, and Hercules' half-brother, Apollo (Scott Michaelsen), a source of envy and discomfort for Hercules vis-à-vis his tattered relationship with Zeus. Three of the "new" faces are, however, not all that new in the general scheme of things: a preponderance of flashback sequences during season four requires the presence of a trio of younger actors to play the earlier versions of Hercules, Hercules' stepfather Jason (portrayed as an "adult" by Jeffrey Thomas) and Iolaus. Season four ends with the death of Hercules' mortal mother,Alcmene (Liddy Holloway), and an invitation extended to Hercules from his father, Zeus, to become a "full immortal" and take his rightful place in Olympus. Curiously, this situation does not result in a cliffhanger, to be resolved at the beginning of Season Five, though Hercules' ultimate decision to retain his half-human status does make possible all that is to come in future episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To reunite blind 19-year-old Ruun (Dean O'Gorman) with his sister Siri, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) must tangle with the renegade Amazon gang who long ago kidnapped Siri and killed the sibling's parents. Unfortunately, evil Amazon Mayem (Tina Cleary) has convinced Siri to join her gang, filling the girl's head with lies about her "enemies" -- including poor Ruun. To defeat Mayem and rescue Siri, Hercules engages in mortal combat at the well-named Fire Stakes Ceremony. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On his deathbed, Ceridian the Centaur (Tony Blackett) asks his favorite protégé, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo), to change the warlike ways of his least favorite protégé, the centaur Cassius (Julian Arahanga). Unfortunately, Cassius' ire has been aroused by the bigoted, anti-centaur magistrate Gredor (John McKee). Hercules intervenes when Gredor, hoping to spark a full-scale war between the humans and the Centaurs, tries to frame Cassius for murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) is somewhat startled to learn that his mother, Alcmene (Liddy Holloway), has agreed to marry King Jason (Jeffrey Thomas). Even more startling is Jason's willingness to give up his throne to wed a commoner -- and his choice of successor: Hercules himself, who declines the honor in favor of his mortal half-brother Iphicles (Kevin Smith). Meanwhile, the evil Patronius (Simon Prast), who covets the throne himself, conspires with Hera to sabotage the wedding. The upshot of all this intrigue is the surprise appearance of Perfidia the sea serpent, who puts a damper on the ceremony by swallowing both Hercules and Jason! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Goddess of love Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) impulsively decides to go into another line of work -- and as a result, all romance disappears from the face of the earth. Meanwhile, god of fire c (Julian Garner), frustrated in his efforts to woo and win Aphrodite, is willing to settle for a substitute love goddess -- and the scheming Iagos (Mervyn Smith) is willing to create one, provided that Hephaestus relinquish his powerful gold shield. Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) becomes involved in this intrigue when his friend Iolaus (Michael Hurst), whose love life has taken a nosedive since Aphrodite's defection, tries to prevent Iagos from getting his hands on the lovely Leandra (Sarah Smuts-Kennedy). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third-season opener of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) is sailing to Sparta with a prisoner: the mercenary Derk (Jeremy Roberts), slated to stand trial for murder. En route, Hercules and Derk are shipwrecked on an unchartered island where the captor and captive spend the next several minutes setting traps for one another. The two antagonists are ultimately forced to band together when they are menaced by a cutthroat pirate gang -- not to mention a gigantic wormlike monster with a taste for human flesh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jealous of the beautiful mortal Psyche (Susan Ward), goddess of love Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) orders her son Cupid (Karl Urban) to shoot Psyche with "love arrows" so that the girl will remove herself from romantic competition. What Aphrodite doesn't know is that Cupid is in love with Psyche himself, which is why he misfires his arrows and hits Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) instead. This proves to be a miscalculation when the smitten Hercules falls for Psyche himself, whereupon Cupid is so consumed by jealousy that he literally transforms into the "Green-Eyed Monster" of the title. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Iolaus (Michael Hurst) thought that his problems with the beautiful but deadly Enforcer (Karen Sheperd) were over when she was killed and carted off to the Other World. Now, however, he must contend with Enforcer II (Cynthia Rothrock) -- whose essence is fire, and thus is twice as dangerous as her water-essenced predecessor. So powerful is the "new" Enforcer that Iolaus is actually killed, but not before warning his friend Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) of the new threat to humanity. Hades (Erik Thomson), king of the Other World, dispatches the original Enforcer to help Hercules polish off her successor...but how can this bring Iolaus back to life? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While en route to a Winter Solstice festival, Iolaus (Michael Hurst) experiences a dream that inspires him to travel northward following a star to witness an important event. He is soon joined by other pilgrims who have shared the same dream and are following the same star. Meanwhile, King Polonius (Edward Newborn) and Queen Maliphone (Denise O'Connell), worried about predictions that their unborn child will not ascend to their throne, begin rounding up all the male children in their kingdom for homicidal purposes. Inevitably, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) becomes involved in this intrigue -- and with equal inevitability, the story concludes in a stable (yes, that stable). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Attending a reunion of Jason's Argonauts in Corinth, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Iolaus (Michael Hurst) discover, to their dismay, that the once mighty King Jason (Jeffrey Thomas), devastated by the bloody unpleasantness involving his bride Medea and their children, has become a dissolute drunkard. Worse still, the Blood-Eyes, a Hera-worshipping cult, have stolen the precious Golden Fleece. With Hercules' encouragement, Jason and the Argonauts set sail again to retrieve the Fleece and restore Jason's self-respect -- and along the way they encounter a familiar-looking band of skeleton warriors. (It is not for nothing that this episode is dedicated to movie special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide