Pompeii: 3D Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Set in 79 A.D., POMPEII tells the epic story of Milo (Kit Harington), a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia (Emily Browning), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.
I’ve read about the tragedy of what happened at Pompeii over the years while growing up but never would I have thought that I would’ve seen a feature film about it. They of course had to develop some kind of story behind it all and what we got was a “guy from the wrong side of the tracks” one except with an ending that many of us know. Sometimes it can get tricky making a compelling film about a subject where everybody knows what happens at the end but this one was done pretty well. The coliseum fighting was very reminiscent of Gladiator right down to the unstoppable fighter characteristic in Milo. That doesn’t necessarily mean we are getting a carbon copy of that film but what it does seem like it takes bits and pieces from various films set in that era. Director Paul W.S. Anderson has deviated from his staple Resident Evil films to create something that is visually amazing. I knew that once he worked on something besides RE then we would see something that felt a bit more fresh than his previous works. Harington showed that he can undoubtedly lead a film. I wouldn’t consider him an A-List actor (yet) but he certainly has a presence about him that make you pay attention. Browning has that kind of beauty that is meant for a role like this. She tends to light up every scene that she is in and has a way of making me melt when she talks. I hate to say it but I wasn’t completely sold on Sutherland as a villain this time around. I know he has made a career of playing bad guys for the most part but I just wasn’t feeling it in this film. Even though you know the outcome of the film it really is an interesting look at that time period with a good revenge story and love story weaved in to one. This is one disaster movie that is at least worthy of checking out.
The 3D:
There are times when the 3D transfer of a film isn’t entirely up to par and lacks in certain aspects but this isn’t one of those times. The colors stay very vibrant and clean. You can especially tell the most in the finale when you see the magma spewing from Mt. Vesuvius. I tend to appreciate a 3D film a lot more when it isn’t overly cheesy with its use of the 3rd dimension and this film utilized it really well. The depth that was created during the big landscape scenes was beautiful even amidst all of the disaster. Movies like this are the ones that I feel are using the technology the right way and not just to throw it out there as a gimmick.
Special Features:
Deleted & Alternate Scenes – There’s a pretty good amount of scenes here that roughly total up to about 24 minutes. There’s enough here to keep anyone interested and most of the scenes are actually interesting enough to watch them all.
The Assembly – A feature on the cast and their respective characters.
The Journey – Talks a bit about the mixture between history and creating an entertaining story. It also talks about set design and the methods of making it feel like a period piece.
The Costume Shop – This feature focuses on the look of the people in the film and how Costume Designer Wendy Partridge was able to accomplish that.
The Volcanic Eruption – A look back at the actual eruption of the volcano as well as how they created the practical and digital version of it.
The Gladiators – This takes a look at the battles in the film and the training that went into making them authentic and realistic.
Pompeii: Buried in Time – A 24 minute piece that takes a look at the behind the scenes of the film and its historical placement as well as character development.
