(This review may contain spoilers).
I know about Pompeii, of course. It’s one of those events in history that has been mentioned a lot in various things I’ve watched and read. I’ve always felt it was a sad, awful thing to happen – more so because there was no hope; no way of preventing it.
I’ve seen quite a few disaster movies before. This one looked like it might be really interesting. The fact that it was set in ancient times was probably one of the things that drew me to this film. Although I’m a bit iffy with a lot of historical films (or books, etc.) ancient history tends to really fascinate me.
The images used at the beginning of the film really helped to add to the atmosphere. I felt that the visual effects worked really well. It was especially intriguing to see the different kinds of gladiators. I remember reading the Horrible Histories book about Ancient Rome and how it showed the different types of gladiator. Although those gladiators weren’t shown in great detail, I did think that the fight scenes were done really well.
For the most part, the actors were really good. Although Milo and Cassia didn’t spend much time together during the film, there was some chemistry that helped make the beginnings of their relationship believable. I also particularly liked Milo’s relationship with the other gladiator. It’s one I would have liked to see further explored.
There was quite a lot happening through the course of the film, so I think it could get a bit confusing at times. I felt that the characters were well-developed and the reactions when the volcano erupted came across really well.
I think this film is one I would see again. It’s probably not for everyone, but it seems a fairly accurate representation of life in Ancient Rome. Unfortunately, there are some instances of modern speech, but generally, that didn’t detract from the effect of the film.
Ink of Blood 