Mark Honhorst I'm really not sure why I like this film. It is not your typical Stooges fare, in that the slapstick humor isn't prevalent through much of the film, but that's okay. In my opinion, this actually works better as an action adventure film than a comedy, but still has its fair share of comedic moments. The Stooges do their best for their age, even Joe DeRita, whom I never thought was all that funny, puts in a fine performance. I actually liked the hero, (played by Quinn Redeker, screenwriter for "The Deer Hunter") and was glad to see him prevail in the end(not that the hero could fail, in a family film.) This is suitable for the family, but not as childish as that "Snow White and the Three Stooges" dreck. Stooge completists like me need this film in their collection for sure!

Woodyanders The Three Stooges -- hot-tempered Moe Howard, bumbling Larry Fine, and doltish Curly Joe De Rita -- are sent back in time to ancient Greece along with meek nerdy inventor Schuyler Davis (a likable performance by Quinn Redeker) and the sweet Diane Quigley (winningly played with spunky aplomb by the lovely Vicki Trickett). The evil King Odius (a perfectly slimy portrayal by George N. Neise) takes Diane as his wife and makes Schuyler and the Stooges his slaves. The Stooges manage to escape and travel the country passing Schuyler off as Hercules. Naturally, they all return to Rome to save Diane from King Odius and confront the real Hercules (brawny behemoth Samson Burke). Director Edward Bernds, working from a blithely silly script by Elwood Ullman, relates the enjoyably inane story at a constant brisk pace and does a good job of maintaining a properly good-natured and lighthearted tone throughout. The Stooges are all in fine wacky and spirited form, with the definite comic highlight occurring when our nutty trio dress up in drag and pass themselves off as slave girls. Another funny bit has Hercules cracking nuts with his biceps. Hal Smith is simply delightful as the jolly King of Rhodes. Moreover, this film even delivers a few thrills like a lively fight between Schuyler and Hercules and an exciting climactic chariot chase. The surprisingly lavish sets and costumes give this picture an impressive sense of scope. Paul Dunlap's robust and rousing score hits the madcap spot. Scotty Welbourne's sumptuous black and white cinematography likewise does the trick. A total hoot.

winner55 All the Stooges films set in past historical eras intentionally spoof historical genres with anachronisms (ancient Egyptians comment on baseball, a Civil War general makes a reference to a radio show, Medieval knights worry whether Lady Godiva might offend the censors, etc.). But anachronisms are tossed about so gleefully here, you begin to realize that this is what the film is really all about - how movies set in the past pull the wool over the eyes of their innocently romantic audiences with a few spangles, a bit of flash, the inevitable tear-jerk scene, and a good dose of beefcake/cheesecake. In fact, the recipe for this film could make for pretty heavy satire if the Stooges weren't so clearly making a light-hearted (and light-headed) romp of it all.Those who complain that the boys are looking pretty old in the film pretty much miss the point. An aging clown looks bad when he tries to play it young; but by working one's whiskers into the act, the clown regenerates himself as a new personality. These are not the old Stooges who bounced their way through the madcap shorts of the '30s; but they are a heck of a lot more fun than the Stooges of the '50s, trying to pretend that age had never happened. True, in their later features, they were very dependent on their scripts, which frequently let them down. But here the script is really not bad at all, and the Stooges are having a grand time, and we should, too. Just set your critical mind at rest and enjoy the show.

JoeKarlosi 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 ****