Pompeii

Romance, politics, and destruction. These are the three themes that surround the movie “Pompeii.” The story follows Milo, a young man whose family is brutally butchered at a young age, sold into slavery and sent to Pompeii. There he meets the lovely Lady Cassia. But the love he has for her is a forbidden love, due to the interest Senator Corvus of Rome has for her. Will he be successful in his quest for freedom and win the heart of his beloved Cassia? Or will everything crumble around him?

I’m going to get straight to the point with “Pompeii.” I am a huge fan of the events surrounding the ancient city’s destruction. I saw the trailers for the movie and became undeniably excited about its release in theaters. However, as time progressed and critics started weighing in, little seeds of doubt started forming on whether this movie was going to be worth the price of admission.

Unfortunately, my expectations for this movie were crushed. I expected a movie that focused more on the events surrounding Pompeii (even perhaps a historical background focus to be incorporated into the movie). Though there was some, what I received was a movie that tried to become everything: a love story, an action movie, and a hint of politics thrown in as a subplot (which even now still makes me question why this was necessary).

The thing that surprised me the most though was the violence. This should have received an R rating. No question about that. The violence was extreme, and there were moments where even I couldn’t handle it (I can handle violence. I’ve handled “Elysium”.), to the point where I was shaking as I walked out and couldn’t believe what I had seen (I will address this more in the content section below)

The plot was poorly developed and the performances were really not that good (Kiefer Sutherland’s accent made me laugh). However, I will say the scenery was pretty good. There were some beautiful shots of Pompeii and the mountains (even though they were CGI based). The destruction of Pompeii was also pretty impressive (in a sense it reminded me of the movie “Titanic”—it’s duration, the peril, the screams). But CGI alone does not make the movie. Impressive? Yes. Did it help the movie that much? Well no, not really.

Violence: Extreme! This area serves as the basis for the moral rating I have given this movie. Like I said, “Pompeii” could have and should have gotten an R-rating. This movie is very inappropriate for children under 13. There are multiple stabbings (including all the members of Milo’s family), hangings, multiple heavy sword fights, arrows shot, fist fights, a scene involving Milo being severely whipped 15 times (we watch this), the destruction of the city and the buildings crushing people. We also witness heavy tsunamis. There’s also a scene where we see Milo snap a horse’s head to end its suffering. There is probably other violent content I am forgetting, but what I have described pretty much sums it up.

Profanity: Virtually non-existent. God’s name was not profaned. I heard one instance of b**ch and one b**tard.

Sex/Nudity: Not much caught my attention. There is one kiss between Milo and Cassia. A brothel is mentioned. Slaves are displayed before women, with comments seemingly indicating the male slaves may be used for sexual purposes. There are bare-chested men and some female cleavage.

Certainly there are themes of bravery, courage, and comradery. However, these themes are overshadowed by over-abundant violence.

My girlfriend and I were really interested in seeing this movie, because we are fascinated by the events surrounding Pompeii. We walked in expecting a little more than what we received. Even if the violence wasn’t the primary detraction, this still wouldn’t be a film to see in theaters or as a DVD rental. In my opinion, this movie is not appropriate for Christians or for anyone under the age of 17. Save your money on this one! Perhaps head to the library, or the Internet, and research the real events of Pompeii. This movie can wait.

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.