Review of Agora (2009) by Alan P — 04 Jan 2011

Wasn't expecting much, but the film turned out to be surprisingly tense, entertaining, and thought-provoking. It starts off a little slow and uneventful, but after the first twenty minutes or so the events kick off violently and hardly relent.

At its core, the entire movie revolves around the conflict between science and religion, before diving into the conflicts between the different religions themselves. It's pretty chilling to watch a mad raving mob rampage through the city committing vehement acts of violence and destruction. And it's a very relevant story: it could apply to modern times as it does for ancient Rome. I don't know how historically accurate any of this movie is (I have my doubts), but as a story it is very intriguing (especially for a guy like me who enjoys history and conflicts of this nature).

Inherent to the story, it is also pretty interesting seeing the contrast between unbiased logic and blind faith, and to see how so many students have turned on their teacher.

In between the moderately-violent rioting/battle scenes, the drama maintains its focus on the above conflicts, while throwing in some mild character development and a lot of interesting tidbits of astronomy and philosophy. As such, the plot maintains steady and even pacing, even if it's not all about the fighting.

As a film, it is pretty well-made. Photography is solid for the most part, but I feel much of it is plain. Acting is not bad; Rachel Weisz is as brilliant and lovely as ever, and the rest of the cast is pretty good. Production value shows a lot of decent props and costumes, but I felt some of the sets looked a little fake. Special effects might seem a little out-of-place, but work thematically and are brilliantly conceptualized. Music is okay.

4/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 4/5, film: 3.5/5, intellectual content: 4.5/5).