If you’re a fan of “Game of Thrones” and its complex, fast-paced storytelling, vivid characters and engaging plots….then “Pompeii” is not the movie for you. In fact, the only thing that “Pompeii” shares with “Game of Thrones” is lead-actor Kit Harington. And even then, his performance in “Pompeii” is hardly comparable to his role as John Snow.
In a nutshell, “Pompeii” tells the story of a former slave (Harington) named Milo who has somehow been fortunate enough to be promoted to a gladiator, as if that’s somehow any better. Eventually we find out that he is love with a woman of higher status named Cassia (Emily Browning), whom he ends up rescuing in a highly stereotypical fashion.
If the whole commoner to royalty relationship wasn’t cliche enough, the films sees fit to add in the detail of Cassia being engaged to a tyrannical roman senator as well. Neither of the main characters are terribly interesting or deep, which perhaps just makes their story that much more boring. Adding in the love-triangle doesn’t serve to make things all that interesting, because the film can’t make the audience care for its characters any more than its thin plot. Which yes, ends with Mount Vesuvius blowing its top.
Honestly, the exploding volcano is the only relatively cool thing about this movie. The effects aren’t anything special, but if you’re in the theater to see some good ol’ fashion destruction along with running, screaming romans then “Pompeii” might be a good film to just sit back and wipe your mind with. Because it certainly isn’t worth the ticket price for anything else.
