Pompeii Information

Pompeii (referred to by marketing as Pompeii in 3D) is a 2014 American disaster-adventure film produced and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the film stars Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas, with Jared Harris, and Kiefer Sutherland. It premiered in France, Belgium and Russia on February 19, 2014 and was released over the course of the next two days in many major territories, including the United States, Canada, India and Australia.

Plot

The movie opens with scenes of the bodies of victims of Pompeii encased in magma as quotes on the destruction are made.

In 62 AD Britannia, a tribe of Celtic horsemen are brutally wiped out by Romans led by Corvus. The only survivor is a boy named Milo whose mother Corvus personally killed. The boy is captured by slave traders. Seventeen years later, a slave owner named Graecus watches a class of gladiators battle. He is unimpressed until he sees the grown Milo, a talented gladiator the crowds call "the Celt." Milo is soon brought to Pompeii with his fellow slaves. On the road, they see a horse fall while leading a carriage carrying Cassia and her servant Ariadne. Milo kills the horse to end its suffering and Cassia is drawn to him. Cassia is the daughter of the city ruler Severus and his wife, Aurelia, happy to have her back after a year in Rome. Severus is hoping to have the new Emperor Titus invest in plans to rebuild Pompeii but Cassia warns him of Rome becoming more corrupt. A servant named Felix takes Cassia"?s horse for a ride only to be swallowed up when a quake from Mount Vesuvius opens up the Earth under him.

At the gladiator arena, Milo soon has a rivalry with Atticus, a champion gladiator who, by Roman law, will be given his freedom after he attains one more victory. The gladiators are shown off at a party where Corvus (now a Senator) tells Severus the Emperor will not invest in his plans but Corvus will. It turns out Cassia left Rome to escape Corvus"? advances as he desires her for his wife. When an earthquake causes horses to become excited, Milo helps calm one down. He then takes Cassia on a ride, telling her that they cannot be together. Returning to the villa, Corvus is ready to kill Milo (not recognizing him from the village massacre) but Cassia pleads for his life. Milo is lashed for his actions and Atticus admits respect for the man as they prepare to face each other at the upcoming festival.

To punish Milo, Corvus orders him killed in the first battle and wicked trainer Bellator convinces Graecus to sacrifice Atticus as well. The two men, and other gladiators, are chained to rocks as other gladiators come out as Roman soldiers, to recreate Corvus"? "glorious victory"? over the Celts. Working together, Milo and Atticus survive the battle, Atticus realizing the Romans will never honor his freedom. During the battle, Corvus forces Cassia to agree to marry him by threatening to have her family killed for supposed treason against the Emperor. When Milo and Atticus win, Cassia defies Corvus by holding a "thumbs-up"? for them to live and he has her taken to the villa to be locked up. Claiming an earthquake is a sign from Vulcan, Corvus has his officer Proculus fight Milo one-on-one. Their battle is interrupted when Mount Vesuvius erupts, creating quakes that cause the arena to collapse, sending Milo and Proculus crashing to the jail levels. Milo opens up the gates to allow his fellow gladiators a chance to attack, Proculus escaping while the gladiators kill Bellator. Seeing Corvus fallen under a collapsed beam, Severus tries to kill him but is stabbed by Corvus, who escapes.

The volcano unleashes balls of fire across the city as the populace tries to flee to the harbor. One fireball destroys a ship killing the escaping Graecus. Aurelia tells Milo that Cassia is at the villa before dying. Milo races to the villa to rescue Cassia, saving her but Ariande is killed when the villa collapses into the sea. Corvus and Proculus kill civilians blocking their path to safety. Atticus tries to reach the harbor but a tsunami created by the volcano smashes into the city, destroying the outer walls and smashing apart ships, Atticus barely rescuing a girl and her mother from the tidal wave. Reuniting with Atticus, Milo suggests searching the arena for horses to escape to the south. As the gladiators face Roman soldiers at the arena, Cassia sees to the bodies of her parents only to be abducted by Corvus. Atticus has Milo chase after the chariot carrying the two while he faces off against Proculus. The Roman manages to mortally wound Atticus but the gladiator rises up to break the blade and use it to kill the soldier.

Milo chases Corvus across the city, both barely avoiding balls of fire and collapsing roads and buildings. Cassia manages to free herself before the chariot crashes into a temple. Milo and Corvus battle it out in a duel as a fireball destroys the temple. Cassia chains Corvus to a building as Milo declares that his gods are coming to punish the Senator. Milo and Cassia ride off as a wave of ash and fire races from the mountain to wash over the city, burning Corvus to a crisp. At the arena, Atticus proudly meets his fate, proclaiming he dies a free man. At the city outskirts, the horse throws off Milo and Cassia. Milo tells Cassia to leave on her own but instead, she sends the horse off, not wanting to spend her last few moments running. She and Milo passionately kiss as the volcano"?s fury washes over them. The last shot is of the duo"?s bodies encased in solid magma, locked in an eternal embrace.

Cast

• Kit Harington as Milo, a slave who became a gladiator.
  • Dylan Schombing as Young Milo
• Emily Browning as Cassia
• Kiefer Sutherland as Senator Corvus
• Jared Harris as Severus
• Jessica Lucas as Ariadne
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Atticus
• Carrie-Anne Moss as Aurelia
• Paz Vega as Strigana
• Joe Pingue as Graecus
• Dalmar Abuzeid as Felix
• Sasha Roiz as Proculus
• Jean-Francois Lachapelle as Milo's Father
• Rebecca Eady as Milo's Mother

Production

The movie was filmed in Toronto, Ontario from March to July 2013.

Pompeii is the fourth time that Paul W.S. Anderson used 3D cameras in his films, the first being Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010. Resident Evil producers Jeremy Bolt and Don Carmody reunite with Anderson for the film. Sony Pictures Entertainment and FilmDistrict are releasing the film because of their relationships with the filmmakers.

Reception

Pompeii has received generally mixed to negative reviews from critics. The film currently holds a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 86 reviews with the consensus: "This big-budget sword-and-sandal adventure lacks the energy and storytelling heft to amount to more than a guilty pleasure." On Metacritic, the film has an aggregate score of 41 based on 28 reviews, indicating 'Mixed or average reviews.'