'Hercules: The Legend Begins' Trailer: The One With Kellan Lutz

It can't be easy for an up-and-coming star to go up against a huge star like The Rock under even the best of circumstances, and I'm not sure Hercules: The Legend Begins counts as "the best of circumstances."

To be fair, we haven't seen footage for Brett Ratner and Dwayne Johnson's Hercules just yet, so it's possible that it's no better than this competing version by Renny Harlin and Kellan Lutz. But Hercules: The Legend Begins looks pretty lackluster in its own right, more like a cheap 300 ripoff than anything else. Check out the new trailer and judge for yourself after the jump.

Considering that he's the main character, Lutz's Hercules has surprisingly little to say in this trailer. Perhaps that's for the best, seeing as that odd accent does him no favors when he does speak. At least he gets ample opportunity to show off the muscular physique he no doubt spent hours perfecting at the gym.

It's not like this is the worst trailer we've ever seen, but there isn't much about it that's encouraging. While the action looks passable, the human element is pretty awful. I literally laughed out loud when Hercules mouthed "What?" after hearing of his lady love's engagement to another man, as if he were in a supernatural teen drama on The CW instead of a big feature film.

Hercules: The Legend Begins opens sometime next year. Am I being too harsh, or does this really look as uninspiring as I think it does?

In Ancient Greece 1200 B.C., a queen succumbs to the lust of Zeus to bear a son promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship. But this prince, Hercules, knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete, who has been promised to his own brother. When Hercules learns of his greater purpose, he must choose: to flee with his true love or to fulfill his destiny and become the true hero of his time. The story behind one of the greatest myths is revealed in this action-packed epic – a tale of love, sacrifice and the strength of the human spirit.