Review of Pompeii (2014) by Steve R — 22 May 2014

Pompeii is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, and centers around the character of Milo, who is a man that stands against the Roman empire after he is put into slavery and becomes a gladiator in Pompeii. He befriends a fellow gladiator and slave Atticus, who helps him fight back against Rome and also ventures to save Cassia, who is to be married to Senator Corvis, a corrupt official.

The movie is actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Sure, it is still not an award-winning masterpiece like Gladiator, but for a CG-filled action-fest about Pompeii, it actually worked well. The visual effects were very good (the effects that were made for 3D weren't as much), the musical score by Clinton Shorter was great (echoing the greatness of Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven and even Game of Thrones), and Anderson's directing, I personally would say is his best here. Now, the acting, I have mixed feelings for. Emily Browning was good as Cassia (nothing amazing), Kiefer Sutherland was great as an antagonist, and Kit Harrington was (sadly) not as good as he is in Game of Thrones, but still good. The show-stealer is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Atticus, who is very similar to that of Djimon Hounsou in Gladiator, and for me, his performance brought tears.

Pompeii is not a classic in any sort of way, but is one I would definitely see again and own when it's released on disc. I never would have thought this movie would be actually good, but I hope they have an extended cut for a disc release because they could have made the movie longer.