Pompeii - movie review

I wanted to see Pompeii for a couple of reasons, one was it was filmed in Canada and had a lot of Canadian Actors.  Kiefer Sutherland and Carrie-Anne Moss to name two.  It is not often you go see a movie knowing everyone dies, and honestly I was interested in seeing how it was handled and how it would be done.


I enjoyed it. The writers, Janet Scott Batchler (and others) did a great job in weaving the historical event into a love story contaminated with greed and power of the times.  I loved the short history lesson of how the Romans in Britain destroyed villages etc. Watching the scene at the beginning of the movie when the main character Milo's father gets killed, and I had the thought 'power corrupts', as the Roman in charge, Kiefer Sutherland's character, Corvus, who of course shows up later as an adversary - still in charge, still in power. The first scenes really set the stage, how this young lad Milo escapes the massacre and becomes a slave and later a gladiator.


As a great gladiator he is taken from London, England, to Pompeii, Italy.  I loved watching the map unfold as they show is journey through the countries.  I think I do love looking at old maps, and noticing how the boundary lines of these countries are nothing like they are today, and wondering what they will look like 100 years from now.


Anyhow, Milo gets to help a lady, Cassia played by Emily Browning, with her horse. And the love story between the slave gladiator and the lady begins.  Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as the fellow slave gladiator Atticus who was to fight for his freedom and becomes Milo's friend plays an important role in the story too.


Mainly this is a love story (yes I shed a few tears at the end) which is going to end in disaster as the volcano erupts and Milo struggles to help save Cassia with the help of Atticus.  I think it is well done, not the greatest ever, but worth seeing. Those times were hard on the poor, the slaves, as the powerful had power. The higher in rank the more power you had. It reminds that a mean person, whether rich or poor is still a mean person, while a gentle, loving person is a gentle loving person whether rich or poor. We must always remember that and not brand people because they are in a powerful or not powerful position.


Thinking back what did I like the best, truly how the fighting combination of Atticus and Milo bet out the Roman soldiers. How I respond when the underdog beats the odds.  But, the heart strings at the love story was wonderful and made the story believable and workable. The last scenes were definitely well done. This movie combined technology and realism very well.




3 1/4 out of 5.  (Don't think I've ever given a 3 1/4 before).