Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 28% (Critics) / 42% (Audience)
Directed By: Paul W.S. Anderson
Written By: Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler and Michael Robert Johnson
Starring: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Kiefer Sutherland
Studio: Sony Pictures

Synopsis: A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him. – (Source)

The Good:
Once Mt. Vesuvius finally erupted things picked up a bit and the volcano effects were well done.

The Bad:
This movie was pretty bad. The first hour or so felt like a tepid broadcast TV version of the cable series SPARTACUS with pedestrian gladiatorial battles and ridiculous political intrigue before turning into a 1970s disaster movie. It also seemed like there was a lot of footage that was left on the cutting room floor because relationships (whether romantic, friendly or contentious) seemed to have deeper meaning than what was shown in the actual movie.

The Ugly
Kiefer Sutherland’s scenery chewing was a mess especially his intermittent haughty accent.

Final Verdict: Director Paul W.S. Anderson strikes again! Here he delivers a schlocky disaster of a disaster movie that doesn’t get going until the final act when the volcano goes boom. That volcano also might have been the most convincing actor in the whole shebang too.

Grade: D-