Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Pompeii Blu-ray Movie Review

Cheap thrills.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 16, 2014

Pompeii takes the sword-and-sandal film and reshapes it with the added entertainment value of the classic disaster epic, in essence meshing Spartacus with 2012. The mixed bag mix-and-match of genres produces an equally mixed bag end product. Director Paul W.S. Anderson -- the man behind the Resident Evil films -- turns his attention away from mutated monsters and zombies and towards the end of the world for a few unlucky Romans and gladiatorial slaves who met their doom, generally, not at the tip of the sword but rather at the heat of flowing lava and the speed and weight of earthen projectiles. The film follows classic Disaster movie formula, taking a good amount of time introducing character dynamics that establish skills and relationships that will prove "relevant" to the final act before tossing them all into the middle of sudden and deadly disaster. The results are about as one might expect, a movie made of cheap thrills, dull characterization, and amazing feats of special effects and sound engineering. It's yet another in the growing list of films that excel as mindless entertainment but fail to deliver anything that falls beyond the slicked-up superficial.

Taking up arms.

Milo (Kit Harington), also known as "The Celt," is a strong young man sold into slavery and forced to compete in vicious gladiatorial games. He's said to be the last of his kind, the sole survivor of a massacre that wiped away his family and village while still but a child. He catches the eye of a young lady named Cassia (Emily Browning). She has his life spared following a brief escape together, but their interlude places Milo in the sights of Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland), Pompeii's strong-armed senator who seeks to profit from a business arrangement with Cassia's father Severus (Jared Harris) and mother Aurelia (Carrie-Anne Moss) while also scheming to secure the fair young lady as his bride. Meanwhile, Milo befriends Atticus (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a tough-as-nails fellow gladiator who seeks only his freedom. Meanwhile, nearby Mount Vesuvius prepares to erupt.

It's getting harder and harder to find new and exciting ways to analyze, criticize, and praise these sorts of movies when they pretty much all fall into the same categories, most all of them (above and beyond the Asylum sort of low-end rehashes) following the exact same formula, failing to find any sort of tangible depth but dazzling with increasingly better and better computer generated visual effects. Pompeii may very well be the quintessential example of these sorts of films, a movie that really only sets itself apart within the parameters of its setting while taking everything that all of the other like films have done before and more or less just trying to out-digital them, to build bigger and louder and more convincing fireballs and instances of destruction. Certainly, characterization and drama take a backseat to visual effects. It's a movie built for a very specific audience and a very specific mood, for people who crave simplified entertainment that's more about scope and scale than it is intimate drama and humanity.

With that in mind, then, Pompeii is the sort of film upon which one really need not focus, to pay close attention, because everything in the movie is built completely on the surface -- and there's, admittedly, plenty of detail in the painstaking recreations of historic Pompeii -- with the purpose of pushing towards the final act's fireworks, which are admittedly first-rate and do impress in terms of scale, clarity, attention to detail, and overall realism. Never do the effects look or feel phony or cheap; these are the real deal, the cutting edge of Disaster cinema and a benchmark for this sort of thing going forward in the years to come. Still, the movie never feels like anything more than a digital highlight reel with a little bit of manufactured drama and sentimentality thrown in. Dialogue ranges from bland to borderline repulsive, culminating in a classically dimwitted exchange between the main characters at film's end. The scene loses its dramatic value because it's done nothing out of the ordinary to make the audience care, working only with the bare dramatic essentials necessary to arrive at that point. While such trite characterization is a staple of the Disaster genre, it feels particularly hollow here, in large part because the peripherals -- the setting, the side plot devices -- are themselves taken from other entertainment venues and given no new life here.

What's worse, the film never feels like it's having fun with what it has to offer. A movie like 2012 plays with a wink-and-a-nod that's evident in every shot, scene, and sequence; even the heavier moments are taken rather lightly yet, when it comes right down to it and considering several other genre staples by Roland Emmerich, still find a little more heart and feeling in the most emotionally driven scenes. Pompeii takes itself far too seriously, which would work had its priorities been reversed, catering more to the characters and less to the visual effects. Everything is built on advancing towards the end, not building the characters to place in that end. The acting does mostly satisfy given the film's meager requirements. Kit Harington and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje enjoy a surprisingly good chemistry considering the weaknesses inherent to the script, making for an engaging, easy-to-cheer-for tandem, at least on the surface. Emily Browning isn't bad as the love interest but feels restricted to reciting unimaginative dialogue that fits the moment rather than flows from the heart. Kiefer Sutherland, on the other hand, feels terribly miscast, never quite exuding the sort of snarling villainy the plot seems to demand and instead content to allow the wardrobe and set pieces and scripted dialogue do the acting for him.

Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Pompeii's 1080p transfer is expectedly spectacular. Sony's Blu-ray release dazzles in nearly every shot, and the transfer is only less than perfect when sporadic bouts of noise interfere in a few darker shots. Otherwise, this is spectacular stuff from beginning to end. The digital photography never looks too terribly smooth. It's certainly not organic like film, but that's more than masked by standout details and colors. Clarity ranks off-the-charts high, and the transfer in turn reveals superb, natural detailing across the board, in both clean and sweaty faces, in both regal and worn clothes, in earthy and muddy terrains, in vegetation, in armor, and within tattered, dank, and dreary jail cells. Every inch within the frame absolutely dazzles with the pinpoint textures and abundant clarity. Likewise, colors leap off the screen throughout. Bright daytime scenes fare best, of course, where purples and golds display incredible nuance and accuracy. They contrast well with the heavy earthy background tones. Red fireballs and lava also leap off the screen throughout the final act. Black levels are deep and pure (save for that noise) and flesh tones appear neutral. This is a wonderful transfer from Sony.

Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Pompeii explodes onto Blu-ray with a fully immersive, engaging, loud, and fun DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This represents the quintessential Disaster film soundtrack, putting everything in perfect working order, balance, and volume. The track is certainly defined by the deadly assault of the final act where sonic mayhem surrounds the listener. Everything from explosions to collapsing structures dominate the experience and hurtle the listener into the chaos. It's full and rich and very well detailed for such a calamitous event. The level of nuance, placement, and movement around the stage is impressive to say the least. Certainly, though, the track excels elsewhere. Music is rich and clear, accurate throughout the range, precisely placed, perfectly immersive, and supported by a solid, unwavering low end. Atmospherics are incredible. Every scene springs to life with accurate sound supports, from busy streets to cheering crowds. Even the most subtle elements impress, particularly the largely quiet but space-defining backgrounds in the gladiators' cells. Dialogue plays evenly, accurately, and at just the right volume from the center. All around, a marvelous reference-level soundtrack from Sony.

Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Pompeii contains a handful of bonuses, headlined by an audio commentary track and a large allotment of deleted and alternate scenes. Optional English subtitles are included.

• Audio Commentary: Producer/Director Paul W. S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt offer a good, balanced track in which they discuss many basic commentary staples, including the movie's origins, the real-life history behind Pompeii, plot details, cast and characters, blending together old-style storytelling with modern technology, score, technical shooting details, digital effects, editing, and much more.
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes (HD, 23:32): Slave Convoy, Mother & Daughter Chat, Journey to the Temple, Milo Keeps an Eye on Atticus, Bathtime, Freedom, Proculus Is Suspicious of Severus, Felix Has Disappeared, Gladiator Inspection, A Deal Is Struck, Cassia Sees Milo, Aurelia Questions Ariadne, Crows, Birds of Ill Omen, Strigana's Warning, Corvus Asks for Cassia's Hand in Marriage, Corvus Lectures Cassia, Severus Threatens Corvus, Love in the Debris, and Milo Fights Corvus' Soldiers.
• The Assembly (HD, 7:14): A brief cast and character overview piece.
• The Journey (HD, 7:42): An examination of the film's blending of historical authenticity, technical prowess, and entertainment value. The piece focuses heavily on set design and detailing.
• The Costume Shop (HD, 6:52): As the title suggests, an overview of the film's wardrobe with Costume Designer Wendy Partridge.
• The Volcanic Eruption (HD, 7:06): A brief history of the real eruption is followed by a look at the practical and digital effects that define the final act.
• The Gladiators (HD, 6:23): This supplement takes a look at the details involved in crafting the film's gladiator battles -- including actor physical training -- and the technical details behind the shoot.
• Pompeii: Buried in Time (HD, 24:06): An overview piece in which the film's details are set against the real history behind the disaster. It also looks at plot specifics, characters and motivations, the combination of practical and digital effects utilized in the film, costumes, and more. In essence, it's the best of the previous supplements rolled into a single feature.
• Previews (HD): That Awkward Moment, The Monuments Men, Aflicted, A Fighting Man, and Stalingrad.
• UV Digital Copy.

Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chances are most savvy moviegoers will know exactly what to expect when laying down money to see Pompeii. The film offers an interesting mixture of genres that don't here mesh very well, largely because of the empty script and emphasis on the superficial. Prior to the fireworks in the final act, viewers will be treated to some recycled gladiatorial battles, a few decent moment demonstrating the growing bonds of brotherhood formed under the pressures of the arena, and a makeshift romance. The highlight, of course, comes in the form of a deluge of computer generated fireballs, ash, and smoke. There's absolutely nothing else here of note. Audiences in search of mindless entertainment will find the movie to be of tremendous value, but viewers looking for more depth should stay away. Sony's Blu-ray 2D release of Pompeii does feature reference video and audio as well as a fair assortment of extras. Rent it.