Blu-ray Movie Reviews

In the first 15 minutes of Pompeii, I wondered if it was heading toward a mashup of Gladiator and The Horse Whisperer. But the horsey part turned out to be just a minor plot (such as it is) driver. The lead character had been a slave since childhood, begins as a star sword-to-hand fighter in a backwater Britannia arena, has a seething grudge against the Romans for killing his family, soon becomes a gladiator in Pompeii, pals up with another gladiator (a big African, natch), and together they score a major victory in the arena against a faux Roman army in front of a vile, powerful Roman senator. Sound familiar?

But the scenario soon transitions from a Gladiator knockoff to a natural-disaster flick, with a seemingly doomed romance between our gladiator and a young lady of privilege tossed into the mix for human interest (and an homage to Titanic, perhaps?).

The star of the show, of course, is the big Kahuna Vesuvius. Until it blows its top, the movie is a slog; afterwards, it’s spectacular eye candy periodically interrupted by some surprisingly lame dialogue. The actors try their best at this between engaging in endless martial combat—combat that never lets up, even as desperate attempts to escape impending doom continue. Keifer Sutherland, as that nasty Roman big shot, gets the worst of the dialogue, delivered in a labored, faux British accent.

How accurately the eruption of 79 A.D. is portrayed here I can only guess, but apart from an unlikely tsunami, it may not be far off. Director Paul W.S. Anderson (best known for other B-movies blown up to A-film proportions, such as the Resident Evil franchise) may have missed the mark on the drama, but he has certainly caught all of the eye-popping action. The special effects are Oscar worthy, and viewed on a big projection screen, the video leaps off the screen—even in 2D. The film was released theatrically (and on Blu-ray) in 3D, but Sony declined to send us a 3D sample.

The audio is also spectacular. The bass will wake up your subwoofer, and the general chaos will light up the rest of your system. But for me, the highlight of the film was the enveloping and beautifully recorded score by Clinton Shorter. It kept the movie tolerable for me throughout that yadda-yadda-slash-slash first hour.

The extras are limited but interesting, with a slew of deleted scenes, several brief but meaty making-of documentaries, and a director’s commentary track.

Blu-Ray
Studio: Sony, 2014
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio Format: DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1
Length: 105 mins.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Kit Harington, Carrie Anne Moss, Emily Browning