Pompeii (MOVIE: 2014) directed Paul W.S. Anderson

Kit Harrington in Pompeii.

POMPEII
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
2014
Notable Actors: Kit Harrington as Milo, Emily Browning as as Cassia, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Atticus, Jared Harris as Severus, Joe Pingue as Graecus, Kiefer Sutherland as Corvus, Carrie-Ann Moss as Aurelia, Jessica Lucas as Ariadne, and Currie Graham as Bellator.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

SPOILERS.
The year is 79 A.D. and Milo's family is of the Celts. The Romans don't think they should be around, if they can't conform to the Roman's ideal at least. They ride in and kill Milo's father in an unfair fight while his mother is beheaded. Milo is taken as a slave, and after many outbreaks of fights on the outskirts, he is turned into an invincible gladiator. The Romans deem his worth and send him to Pompeii, to become a renowned Gladiator. While on the way to Pompeii, a horse on the carriage that carries Cassia, a prominent woman in society, falls down injured to the ground, with limited area to stop and care for the animal. He kills it quickly to put it out of pain, and Cassia takes notice...to see that it is the most humane thing to do to the animal. Milo is sent to the Gladiator pits though and shares a cell with Atticus, a fellow Gladiator who is one fight away from winning his freedom. Him and Atticus form a weird attachment even though they are to face each other in combat. Meanwhile, Cassia's father is trying to secure funds from Rome to be able to build more on to the beautiful city of Pompeii. Severus, the man he negotiates with, wants to have Cassia's hand in marriage as well. She is not in love with him, and she keeps seeing Milo everywhere, to which she longs to be at his side the entire time instead. During the Gladiator games, Severus pits an unlikely match for Atticus and Milo, having them team up to kill more men than their outfit of six should permit. Cassia is taken back to her parent's villa because she speaks out against Severus, to his distaste. At this moment, the increased volcanic activity of the mountain chooses to erupt. Atticus and Milo are now free as everyone is running for their lives. Atticus heads to harbor only to realize the ocean is spitting back at the volcano while Milo goes to rescue his beloved Cassia. Atticus dies in the arena finally, proud to die a free man, while Milo and Cassia hide towards the mountains in the south. The horse isn't fast enough with the two of them, so Cassia has them both get off. Milo tries to convince her to get back onto the horse, but she wants their last moments not to be of running, but to kiss each other, and be in each other's arms. The volcanic lava and dust settle over them as it happens.

Did you love Gladiator? What about Titanic? If you loved both of them, then Pompeii is for you. A mix of the hard manly action while a 'doomed from the start' relationship story are what this movie is. I applaud Kit Harrington though. This man is one of my current favorite actors, and he holds a special place in my heart after playing Jon Snow on Game of Thrones. He is a versatile actor, but that accent of his and the sword play he does in almost all his current roles really made him the perfect choice for Pompeii. He also now has "street cred" in the acting world due to his role as Jon Snow. Opposite him is Emily Browning, whose cult followings from Sucker Punch, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Host, oddly made her a very good choice for the role. I almost didn't recognize her. I didn't think she had ears quite that large, and let me tell you...that this movie was starting her ears....I mean Emily Browning. She would have made a great elf in the LOTR movies for sure. The acting was sublime and I actually was really into the effects of the volcano, from the ashes in the sky to the lava/burning dust clouds that killed people, it was really believable...shockingly so. I also was into the fact that they coupled the tides of the ocean into all of this, which was scientifically smart. You know the academic demographic got a secret earth science boner from all this.

Again, good movie...but not my favorite. Lacked more depth in the creepy relationship back story of Cassia and Severus. They also could have developed Cassia and Milo's relationship more, but that would have left it closer to unbelievable really.