Pompeii

In the past, films based on historical events have raked in the money. So when director Paul W.S. Anderson released Pompeii in 2014, many people flocked to the cinemas to enjoy a spectacle worthy of historical prominence.

And many slated it into the ashes, saying that it is a loveless, poorly acted story, with only one decent actor/actress: the volcano.

Whilst it wasn’t perfect, and the story for the first half of the film lacked some oomph, the acting is a lot better than its given credit for. But without much opportunity to let it shine we are left to feel no particular worry for most of the characters fates when the volcano finally does blow its top. It is obvious that the first half of this film is trying to give you an insight into the kind of people who lived in Pompeii, to make you feel emotionally sad at the loss of their lives. But they didn’t have the chance to blossom as characters, thus not being very relatable at all and just not feeling very real enough to get sad over.

It is a simple story of a nobody/ savage becoming the hero. One that has been done countless times before, but with a bit of a twist at the end… even if the beginning is a bit predictable.

The ending itself seems like it’s drawn out a bit too much, which isn’t necessarily how it happened. And a tidal wave? Who remembers that from their history lessons?

However, there is no denying the sheer beauty of the end with the superb CGI bringing the destructive volcano to life, along with that terrifying tidal wave. The detail alone is breath-taking, and what this film lacks in story is made up for through this beautiful destruction and chaos.

Add to that some pretty royal sounding background music, as well as that battle music at the end, and the film also sounds epic.

Let’s also give credit for the interesting choreography for the stunts in the fight scenes. It can even be deemed clever in the detail paid in making the fights interesting to watch, keeping us entertained through the first half where the story cannot.

The best quotes from the film are:

• ‘Gino’s tit!’ – Severus (Jared Harris)
• ‘Men killing each other is not sport.’ – Cassia (Emily Browning)

Not perfect, but neither deserving of the venom it received from critics, this film is a beautiful master piece visually. With a little work on the first half’s plot this film could have received far more praise, particularly for its visual display.

So a 7.1 out of 10.