As summer’s end nears, two films embody a lackluster July at the box office. Meet “Hercules” — the original gangster of superheroes — and “Lucy” — an ill-labeled superhero origin story. But these reels are more tragic than heroic, unfit for mere mortals, let alone the epic gods they depict. Rent “Sharknado” … it’s a safer bet.

Dwayne Johnson stars as the legendary hero from Greek mythology in “Hercules”. (photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

If you’ve seen the trailer for the son of Zeus’ latest conquest, you might recall several mythological creatures on screen. Sadly, that’s only the first three minutes of the film. Much like “Troy” (remember that drab thing?), nothing supernatural transpires, much to the dismay of, well, any filmgoer craving the spectacle of ancient Greece. The legend of Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) only exists thanks to his merry men — like Amphiaraus (Ian McShane) and Autolycus (Rufus Sewell) — and Amazon woman, Atalanta (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal).

If you really want something out of this world, I suggest “Lucy”. Rather than just focus on a drug that expands our leading lady’s (Scarlett Johansson) brain function from the usual 10 percent to 100 percent, director Luc Besson (“The Professional” and “La Femme Nikita”) depicts the beginning of time –– a trite attempt at depicting human evolution over the course of some billion years. “X-Men” did it better.

Beginning with a Neanderthal drinking water at a stream way back when and occasional cutaways to animals feeding and breeding during Professor Norman’s (Morgan Freeman) expository lecture about the mind’s limitless capacity, “Lucy” attempts a larger-than-life story that predates not just Hercules, but the Big Bang (apparently, 100 percent brain function allows you to experience everything, past and present).

Perhaps a central problem with both films is the dispensable nemesis. Once “Lucy” unlocks those dormant neurons, nothing stands in her way –– not even drug lord Mr. Jang (Min-sik Choi), who forced her to smuggle drugs hidden in her intestines (somebody kicked her in the stomach, causing a new drug, CPH4, to flood her system and free her mind).

As for Zeus, Jr., the villain is unclear throughout the film; that’s one of the central mysteries. The big bad force might be a centaur (if only), an intruding kingdom or even Hercules’ own demons. Sadly, the truth sets nothing free, but makes this story as disposable as all the farmers Herc leads into battle.

Scarlett Johansson stars in “Lucy”, an action-thriller that examines the possibility of what one human being could do if she unlocked 100 percent of her brain capacity and accessed the furthest reaches of her mind. (photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

“Herc” and “Luc” overflow with possibility. Greek mythology still waits for a grandiose adaptation, and Johnson looks the part. And a sci-fi film featuring Johansson rocking telekinetic powers, among who knows how many other abilities, could only go to visually captivating places. Both have the right budgets and competent directors (though “Hercules’” Brett Ratner has a tainted resume), but cliché abounds.

“Lucy” tries to go its own way, but it ends up replicating the all-too-1990s film “Lawnmower Man”. They conclude in virtually the same way. As for “Herc”, it goes the route of almost every Greek mythology film that clashes, wraths, immortalizes and lightning thieves with Harry Potter reject Percy. By that, I mean boring and paceless.

Johansson and Johnson might be some of the most pigeonholed actors. The former reached acclaim last year for her non-corporeal role in “Her” and as a man-eating E.T. in “Under the Skin” earlier this year, but her robotic performance in “Lucy” is finally on par with the many unfortunate roles Johnson undertakes. It’s too bad, since The Rock is such a delightful guy. He seems to pick fitting roles, but outside the “Fast & Furious” behemoth, notable filmmakers don’t work with him. I always wonder what would happen if he aligned with the right director. I also wonder what would happen if acclaimed director Besson actually made a great film this millennium (he peaked with “The Fifth Element” in 1997).

For all their many, many faults, “Luc” and “Herc” each offer one enjoyable element. Lucy fears nothing, but she knows not what to do with her limited time (the drug is deteriorating her body) until Professor Norman convinces her to pass on what she learns. Fearing ramifications for the human race, he questions if humanity is ready for such knowledge –– a central (and very dated) concern of “Transcendence” back in April. Instead of rehashing naive fear of change, Lucy quickly retorts, “Ignorance brings chaos, not knowledge.”

As for “Herc”, McShane — a man who supposedly sees visions of his own death — comically seeks out his own demise, failing every time. It’s humorous enough but hardly worth the two hour running time. That’s the central problem with both films: nothing of consequence makes them more than fodder for rental.