As I've said in other reviews, the sword and sandal genre isn't exactly one that I enjoy. But I think even those who do enjoy its offerings will find this particular one tough to sit through. One big reason for that is that the hero (Maciste or Hercules, depending on what version you watch) is particularly weak. Not when it comes to physical strength (though his strength does fluctuate through the movie), but when it comes to his character. We learn nothing about him, like how he got to this part of the world or what he feels or thinks about anything. In fact, he's off screen for big chunks of the running time. This might have been looked over had the movie done well in other areas, but it doesn't. While the awful dubbing does provoke a few chuckles here and there, it doesn't make up for the fact the movie is extremely dull. There's far more talk than action, and when there is action, it's staged and directed in a very feeble fashion. It didn't take long into watching the movie for me to wish that it would end much quicker than it actually did, and I suspect that you'll feel the same way as well.

Genghis Khan is dead but his 3 sons Sayan, Susdal, and Kin Khan live on to continue their reign of terror. Hercules/Maciste is out to stop the Mongols again.I find this film is about as good as Hercules Against the Barbarians (1964) and much better than Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World (1961), which all films have a Genghis Khan story.This is another averaged story peplum film. Love the costuming, props and sets as I usually do. The battles are entertaining. There are better sword and sandal film of the time era to watch but this one is okay enough for a different one to pop on now and again.1.5/10

Maciste contro i Mongoli (1963) or Hercules Against the Mongols (USA) uses the same two sons of Genghis Khan that were in Hercules Against the Barbarians (1964).Mark Forest as Hercules/Maciste is again a stiff bore.Hercules/Maciste fights against the three sons of Genghis Khan. Not much happens. Scenes are recycled from this and put into Hercules Against the Barbarians (1964).Sub-standard peplum/Sword-and-sandal flick that has nothing to do with the Sword-and-sandal genre. I think it's just a re-titled Maciste (a Hercules-like figure) flick. Hercules aides the Russians against a Mongol invasion in the 13th century.Mark Forest plays Hercules and he's a complete bore. Most scenes are dull and boring. There's a bit of interest in the Mongol bad guys played by a few hefty European or American weight lifters, other than that, it's sub-standard stuff.

As far as Sword & Sandal films go, HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS is a pretty good effort. The film moves at a really fast clip. Technically, the film is well directed, with a little more thought put into it than most cardboard actioners from Italy. The cast is uniformly good looking: Mark Forest is in top shape and is basically shirtless throughout the movie and he has a couple of stand-out scenes which showcases his muscular physique (he even gets hurt by an arrow!). José Greci, a regular in these kind of films, is truly gorgeous and makes an impressive "royalty". The actors playing Mongols don't look like Mongols but then I believe there were few Mongol actors back then (or even now).Like so many of these movies, there's a kid (or a little people). His name is Alex and the kid is not really that annoying but the female actor who supplies his voice is just awful. Every time I heard her voice, I wanted to smash the TV.The sets (interior and exterior) are excellent and believable. Most of the film was shot outside, which gives some credence to the whole film. No studio-bound exterior sets like the ones in HERCULES AGAINST THE BARBARIANS, which also stars the exact same cast but with a completely different story. The costumes and the music are also above average. Nothing earth-shattering but I really had a good time.