79 A.D was a very bad year for the city of Pompeii. One of the worst natural disasters of the ancient world occurred as a killer Volcano named Vesuvius erupted and wiped out thousands upon thousands of lives.
So now I guess enough time has passed to attempt to turn that tragedy into a silly romantic popcorn movie. I’m game anyway.
Too bad that trashy 50s B-Movie vibe clashes with the modern corporate CGI fest that this movie descends into, but that’s the least of our worries here.
Our hero Milo played by Kit Harrington’s abs (too bad the rest of him could not bother to show up), a former slave who becomes a gladiator falls in love with Cassia, a woman well above his status, and who also happens to be engaged to a big Roman Senator.
Of course we all know the city is doomed, so this movie becomes a weird mix of Titanic and Gladiator as Milo tries to save his love and kick some enemy gladiator ass in the meantime.
The bottom line is that this is a hilariously awful movie, inappropriate on so many levels as actors obviously ham up their performances in a film about one of the most tragic natural disasters in human history.
Kiefer Sutherland plays a corrupt Roman senator, but sounds like he’s doing a bad hackney British accent, for instance.
This movie is pure schlock,. But I found it amusing, and entertaining at times, but never quite really enjoyed it to a great degree to warrant recommending it.
If you are a fan of “so bad it’s good” kind of flicks, this might just be one to seek out, but don’t get your hopes up too much.
Fans of serious historical movies will want to stay far away, as well as fans of well made movies in general.
Pompeii gets a one out of five: BAD.
Vortainment 