7:54 AM
ArtsNFashion
The story of old Pompeii, Italy has been
fascinating audiences for millenniums. The same is true today when we can only
imagine the splendor of the city as it was then and the terror experienced by
the citizens when their whole world came tumbling down during the eruption of
Mt. Vesuvius. This is like the Titanic story; we all know the ending, but we
don’t know how the film will get there.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson trains his
excellent 3D cameras on real sets, models, and CGI scenes to elaborate
effectiveness. There is one killer scene in which a cliffside villa crumbles
into the sea, along with half the mountain. No animals were hurt in the filming
of these scenes!
Mr. Anderson must be an avid movie-watcher as
he has had his screenwriters Janet Scott & Lee Batchelor and Michael Robert
Johnson borrow from every heart-wrenching epic film such as the aforementioned
Titanic as well as The Horse Whisperer, The Robe, Demetrius and the Gladiators,
with a little of Spartacus thrown in for good measure. Every “Roman-themed”
film of yesteryear serves as a blue print for this “new” look at life in 79
A.D. The filmmakers can’t be faulted too much because how many different ways
can the same story be told?
Strapping Kit Harrington of Game of Thrones TV
fame, plays grown-up Milo. As a young boy he watched in horror as his parents
were slaughtered by the mean and nasty Roman soldier Keifer Sutherland (Corvus)
and his top lieutenant Proculus (Sasha Roiz) when they eliminated the Celts.
Milo grows up a slave and seeks his revenge 17 years later.
Because Milo is young and strong, he is a
natural for the arena where he is obligated to kill for the entertainment of
the governing powers. On his way to being shipped to Pompeii he saves the life
of Cassia (Emily Browning), the daughter of high official and town chief
Severus (Mad Men’s Jared Harris) and her beautiful mother Aurelia (Carrie-Ann
Moss). They immediately do goo-goo eyes at each other, even though they know it
is forbidden. But that never stopped determined and hormonally excited youth
nor Hollywood. Through circumstances and clever screen-writing, the two are
thrust together several times, cementing their attachment. But do we believe
their romance? It’s debatable and borders on preposterous. There’s not much
chemistry between the two, and the only sparks come from the mountain.
While in prison Milo makes friends with the
gigantic Atticus (Adewale Akkinnuoye-Agbaje), a fellow slave flighter. Together
they team up and nearly wipe out the entire Roman legion on their own. You can
only do that if you are the star of the movie.
All of the fighting, head-lopping and arm
severing is simply a lead-up to the huge climax and the reason the film was
made in glorious 3D. Using some of the best 3D effects seen on screen, Anderson
makes us feel the heat of the lava as the mountain spews rockets of boiling
rocks down on the Pompeiians. We must admit we dodged a few of those boulders
and covered our eyes with trembling arms! Oh, and we mustn’t forget the
sensational tsunami that puts the cap on the town. Terrific!
Find ArtsNFashion on FB and Twitter below:
0 comments:
Post a Comment