Reviewed September 27, 2020
Popcorn disaster flick about a Celtic gladiator caught up in romance and revenge during the famous 79AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Short on substance but chock full of mindless thrill, the grade is because I genuinely enjoyed various aspects; however, this is definitely a “watch it once and you don’t need to see it again” kind of film.
The Bad:
- Plot is a joke, but we’re not really here for the plot
- Wasn’t a huge fan of every single character dying, but whatever. The main two were headed in the right direction before the writers kicked in one last FU moment.
- If you’re going to get someone as talented as Jared Harris, don’t give him a bit part where he can be the weak and mewling father of the love interest
- Speaking of the love interest, Cassia, she was paper thin even though the writing tried to at least fake making her character interesting. But hey, gotta have that love angle for Kit Harrington and someone to gaze at. Not upset with Emily Browning, just sad how her character got written.
- Some of the effects were hilariously cheesy at times, on the $100M budget (and it lost money after advertising was factored in).
- That’s not how gladiator fights go, geez. It was expensive to have gladiators trained dangit, you don’t slaughter 30 at once
The Good:
- Kit Harrington is really good at gritty period roles, that’s for sure
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje gets a chance to shine as Atticus, the Pompeii champion gladiator.
- The fight scenes were extensive and fun. Lots of great deaths (mixed in with some trash ones). Definitely quality sword and sandals action.
- They ripped off Gladiator something fierce, and honestly I didn’t care. Imitation, flattery, etc. It worked, just not with someone like Ridley Scott at the helm to make it truly epic.
- Vesuvius blowing its top was pretty fun, and at least to my understanding most of what happened makes sense; tremors, landslides, the eruption itself, lava bombs and earthquakes and the eventual pyroclastic flow.
- Proculus vs Atticus and both of their deaths
- Corvus getting what was coming to him
- The rich parents, trying to bring Rome’s money to rebuild Pompeii, getting killed and crushed by the eagle. Nice touch.
- All those people getting close to escape (both the slaves in particular) only to die horrible deaths. Brutal, but emotionally effective.
Sword and sandals disaster popcorn flick. Bet you never knew you needed Jack Bauer vs Jon Snow sword-fighting during a volcanic eruption, but it’s a thing I can recommend.
Getting Reel with Mr. Sunshine 