Pompeii

Pompeii is exactly that kind of movie about which I’ve read bunch of opinions from the self-proclaimed experts that the movie is going to suck before it was even released. It is created by Paul W. S. Anderson and he has never shot a good movie. The local reviewers and know-it-all experts had a clear opinion even before they watched the movie. What else should I expect? For a change, I kept my mouth shut and waited until I actually saw the movie. And I have to say I was surprised by decent filmmaking, which was however not set in the ancient Rome, but in the ancient Rome modified by the Americans. But I can get over that. I liked the actors, I liked the story and most of all I liked the second half of the film, which turned the locations into an absolute hell. So I can’t really find any flaws with Anderson’s work – this is just exactly what I was expecting from him and what I also truly enjoyed. (05/11/2014)

Flat like a week-open can of Bud. This time it isn’t Anderson’s fault alone. A screenwriter’s mishmash of Gladiator, Spartacus and Dante’s Peak suffers from inane dialogs and mostly predictable plot. Jon Snow is a bit stiff, but if he doesn’t attempt any romance, he’s bearable. Kiefer gets almost perverted enjoyment from playing the villain from the Reich, but that doesn’t make the end result much better. The only really good thing is Shorter’s music, the volcano action in the finale, and I was surprise that it was all over. Do you like sport? (05/31/2014)

Despite the few flaws it has, I surprisingly enjoyed Pompeii very much. It was pulled up by a very likeable loving duo and impressive visual effects. The pacing is decent, there's something going on from the start, there's no shortage of fights that suffer from a lack of blood but still kept me interested and mayhem in the final 40 minutes was very well done by Paul W.S. Anderson. 70%. (05/16/2014)

A prequel to Gladiator with embarrassing sets, decent fights, especially considering that it’s PG-13, but there are too many references and similarities that are reproduced too clumsily to be nodded in agreement. The acting is basically nothing and the script is a big pile of pathos and a confusion of all the clichés. All that remains is solid visuals and that's it. (09/07/2014)

I saw Hercules: The Legend Begins on the same day, and even though it's quite ridiculous, Hercules entertained me a bit more. Not by much, but still, one expected nothing and got nothing. In the case of Pompeii, the expectations may have been a little higher, but their fulfillment was not. A stupid romance bolted onto a disaster. Even if it is not in connection with a historical event, the effect will be the same. Only the explosion of Vesuvius is worth it. (05/03/2014)