“Hercules” is slightly deeper than one would expect from a Brett Ratner film, but the end result is a clunky and disjointed summer action film.

In “Hercules,” the title character, played by the believable Dwayne Johnson, is tormented by the death of his family as he leads a group of mercenaries traveling in search of work. Hercules and his men are approached by Ergenia, played by Rebecca Ferguson, who wants Hercules to train the armies of her father, Lord Octys, played by John Hurt, to defend their kingdom from destructive warlord Rheseus, played by Tobias Santelmann.

If there is one thing this movie did well, it’s casting Johnson as the strongest man in all of Greek mythology. He absolutely looks the part, and he delivers his lines well for the most part, even if half of them seem to be cheesy one-liners. He is definitely better in 2013’s “Pain and Gain,” but the fact that he’s looks strong enough to throw a horse does a more than serviceable job in this film.

The movie has some good action scenes, and I would like to see more of the 12 labors scene at the start of the film, but the writing really brings the rest of the film down. Of course that isn’t the main draw in a film like “Hercules,” but the film can’t seem to choose between being a B-movie or a serious look at the Greek legend. The mix of Ian McShane’s wisecracking and Hercules’ family being killed makes for an awkward tone for the movie.

“Hercules” is a passable summer popcorn movie but not much more. Johnson does a good job as Hercules and he excels in the action scenes, but the film doesn’t deliver anything deeper than a lot of action in a relatively by-the-book action film. This is one movie I would wait to rent, especially since the 3-D is far from worth it.

2 out of 5 Stars