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PHOTO:COURTESY
Director: Paul WS Anderson.
Cast: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kiefer Sutherland and Jared Harris.
Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure.
Run Time: 1 hr and 38 min.
Rating: 5/10.
From the director of Mortal Kombat, Aliens Vs, Predator and Resident Evil comes Pompeii.
The film travels back in time to 79 AD. It revolves around Pompeii, an outlying Roman metropolis that is found at the bottom of Mt Vesuvius — a volcanic mountain.
The film begins when a young boy called Milo (Kit Harington of Game of Thrones) witnesses the slaughter of his tribe at the hands of Roman soldiers, led by Roman commander Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland). Thus, Milo becomes the sole survivor of a Celtic horse tribe. He is then raised as a slave, and 17 years later, becomes a gladiator who is taken to Pompeii to battle Atticus (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), an African gladiator who is one fight away from earning his freedom.
In the midst of the thrilling gladiator battles, Cassia (Emily Browning), the daughter of Pompeii’s leader, Severus (Jared Harris), and his wife, Aurelia (Carrie-Anne Moss) falls in love with Milo, even though Corvus also has his sights on her.
No sooner does he lay eyes on the Cassia, than he lets her father know that a side deal may be required in order for Pompeii to get a good evaluation.
Thumbs Up
The film has some impressive choreographed fighting scenes. One that particularly stands out is when Milo and Atticus take on a battalion of Roman soldiers. Also, the film offers a visually stunning scale of the destruction.
Thumbs Down
The narrative is not the film’s strongest selling point; in fact it is banal at best. Also, the film is predictable and often feels bloated, as it cannot decide whether it wants to be an action film about gladiators or a disaster flick.
Verdict
It is one of those guilty brainless pleasures. If destruction and great fighting scenes is what you live for and you do not care too much for storyline or dialogue, then this is a must watch.
