Paul W.S. Anderson may not be the greatest director out there, with most of his movies existing in that strange limbo of being so bad they c...
Paul W.S. Anderson may not be the greatest director out there, with most of his movies existing in that strange limbo of being so bad they come out good in the end (though Event Horizon is one of the creepiest horror sci-fi movies out there, and you should definitely check it out), but one thing he does have a handle on is spectacle. Again, he is isn't the best out there (James Cameron can best him with both hands behind his back), but he can conjure up some strikingly big imagery, and use effects to good effect. Which really helps in the third act of Pompeii, when, not a spoiler if you know your history, Mount Vesuvius, erupts, decimating the Roman resort town. It ends the movie on a massive high note, but doesn't redeem the fact that everything up to the first fireball flying through the sky is a mess.
Pompeii wants to be three movies. It wants to be Titanic, telling the story of Milo (Kit Harrington), a slave turned gladiator who falls for Cassia (Emily Browning), the daughter of the ruler of Pompeii. It wants to be Gladiator in that Milo is seeking revenge on Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland), a Roman senator responsible for the massacre of his family and people, and just so happens to be in Pompeii just as Milo is brought to the city to compete in the annual games. And, of course, it wants to be a disaster movie, with the destruction of the city. But this is the first of the movies problems. In wanting to emulate Titanic and Gladiator, it soon just copies them, with one scene in particular ripped directly from one of those far superior movies. Everything up to Vesuvias blowing its top is also painfully dull, an entire car dealership's worth of wheel spinning taking place in the movies first and second act. The movie seems built on clichés, and there isn't a compelling story to keep your attention.
The romance between Milo and Cassia is devoid of anything to make you feel for the couple, and gets really ham fisted in places. It's not helped that Harrington, displaying none of the talent he has shown in Game of Thrones, has nothing even approaching charisma as Milo. In playing strong and silent, he just comes as boring and dour, selling none of the movies big dramatic beats. Browning fares better of the two, but doesn't really have much to do other than worried and scream. The actors around them fare much better, especially Sutherland having a whale of a time as the deliciously evil Corvus, who holds on to grudges even as everything around him is falling apart (come to think of it, just like Billy Zane in Titanic). Once the third act hits, and Mount Vesuvias erupts, after an hour of foreshadowing, the movie kicks into high gear. The destruction wrought is incredibly impressive, delivering some striking shots of churning seas and the city been engulfed by massive ash clouds. It plays to Anderson's strengths, but it's all too little too late.
If Pompeii was fully invested in the being the disaster movie it wants to be, Anderson could have pulled something quite spectacular, but by shoehorning in a dull, and painfully familiar, romance story, he only succeeds into turning the movie into forgettable mess.
Pompeii wants to be three movies. It wants to be Titanic, telling the story of Milo (Kit Harrington), a slave turned gladiator who falls for Cassia (Emily Browning), the daughter of the ruler of Pompeii. It wants to be Gladiator in that Milo is seeking revenge on Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland), a Roman senator responsible for the massacre of his family and people, and just so happens to be in Pompeii just as Milo is brought to the city to compete in the annual games. And, of course, it wants to be a disaster movie, with the destruction of the city. But this is the first of the movies problems. In wanting to emulate Titanic and Gladiator, it soon just copies them, with one scene in particular ripped directly from one of those far superior movies. Everything up to Vesuvias blowing its top is also painfully dull, an entire car dealership's worth of wheel spinning taking place in the movies first and second act. The movie seems built on clichés, and there isn't a compelling story to keep your attention.
The romance between Milo and Cassia is devoid of anything to make you feel for the couple, and gets really ham fisted in places. It's not helped that Harrington, displaying none of the talent he has shown in Game of Thrones, has nothing even approaching charisma as Milo. In playing strong and silent, he just comes as boring and dour, selling none of the movies big dramatic beats. Browning fares better of the two, but doesn't really have much to do other than worried and scream. The actors around them fare much better, especially Sutherland having a whale of a time as the deliciously evil Corvus, who holds on to grudges even as everything around him is falling apart (come to think of it, just like Billy Zane in Titanic). Once the third act hits, and Mount Vesuvias erupts, after an hour of foreshadowing, the movie kicks into high gear. The destruction wrought is incredibly impressive, delivering some striking shots of churning seas and the city been engulfed by massive ash clouds. It plays to Anderson's strengths, but it's all too little too late.
If Pompeii was fully invested in the being the disaster movie it wants to be, Anderson could have pulled something quite spectacular, but by shoehorning in a dull, and painfully familiar, romance story, he only succeeds into turning the movie into forgettable mess.
