If you’re seeking a compelling, historically accurate understanding of the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius and its impact on the nearby town of Pompeii, look elsewhere. If you’re in the market for a fun, gloriously bloody and slightly silly time at the movies, Pompeii, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson of Resident Evil fame, fits the bill. A swords-and-sandals epic loosely fit around an overworn rich girl-poor boy love story, this film revolves around Celtic slave gladiator Milo, a ripped Kit Harrington whose muscles probably should have gotten their own listing in the credits. Milo is brought to Pompeii, where he becomes enamored with wealthy Cassia (Emily Browning) and battles Kiefer Sutherland, whose performance as villainous Roman senator Marcus Valerius Corvus is so bad it’s funny. Although the plot is shallow and cliché with cringe-worthy dialogue, the real point of Pompeii is in its spectacle: seeing the ancient city come to life with rich detail; the gladiator ring, where slaves slaughter each other to cheering crowds with a masked chorus narrating; and the fireballs and billowing ash clouds spewing out of Mt. Vesuvius, destroying everything and everyone in its path.
>>Should You See It? Although far from original, it’s a fun ride.—S.Z.
Viewed at Wehrenberg Galaxy 14 Cine