Rome 79 AD never looked this good. But Those About to Die, the epic new Peacock drama set in Ancient Rome, never reaches fully great status. That doesn’t mean we should turn away from the unique project by creator Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) and acclaimed director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day). Embrace it. It’s hard to dismiss the grand scale of this series, which was shot over the course of 230 days. Like Game of Thrones before it, the series wins points for stellar world building. It’s just that there are far too many moving pieces, and, over time, you tend to feel a bit lost in its glorious spectacle. (Sort of like playing the board game Catan.)
Rodat and Emmerich also serve as executive producers here, no doubt holding enough clout to have lured in Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins into the elaborate production. The actor’s presence eventually fades behind the sprawling all-star cast in a series that is often bold, sometimes brassy, and certainly bloated. But it’s also one of the most lavish and fantastical soap operas we have ever seen.
There are enough plot twists, story arcs, characters to invest in, and plenty of musical crescendos and an onslaught of special effects to effectively keep you captivated by the ambitious Those About to Die. It’s delicious eye candy. It’s sometimes exhausting. Still, it isn’t every day we see such a boisterous and confident streaming outing like this. Those About to Die should appeal to fans of Emmerich’s hit films like Independence Day, and give them plenty to feast on over the course of 10 episodes. Have patience. It will take the mind some time to remember all the key players.
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3.5/5
Set in the year 79 AD in Rome, Those About to Die dives into the brutal and complex world of gladiatorial combat. The series explores the dark underbelly of Roman entertainment, where the promise of free food and blood-soaked spectacles keep the restless population in check. The narrative focuses on various characters from all corners of the Roman Empire, whose lives intersect in the grand arena.
Release Date July 18, 2024
Cast Anthony Hopkins , Tom Huges , Sara Martins , Jojo Macari , Gabriella Pession , Dmitri Leonidas , Moe Hashim , Iwan Rheon
Seasons 1
Pros
- Excellent production and costume design helps create an accurate portrait of Rome.
- Amazing battles in the gladiator rings and gripping stories with many characters.
- The entire thing feels very cinematic and unlike almost any other TV show.
Cons
- Everything is a bit too much, from too many characters and plots to overly long sequences.
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Speaking of the myriad actors, let’s start with Anthony Hopkins. As the aging Emperor Vespasian, he sees the Roman writing on the wall, as it were. His time is limited. Until then, he must groom and choose one of his two sons to helm the Imperial throne. The fellas could not be more different. Titus Flavanius (Tom Hughes) is super serious. Brother Domitian (Jojo Macari offering a fine turn), is smarmy, reckless, and taking advice from his male concubine. This family dynamic plays out in fine fashion early on. As the series moves on, you tend to feel the sheer greatness of Hopkins’ presence, especially when he’s not always around.
Meanwhile, let’s unpack the other moving pieces. Overall, Rome has experienced a sense of peace for some time. But things are rumbling beneath the surface, and there’s a dramatic intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties that come into play. Criminals, gamblers, and fixers flit about, chief among them including the ambitious crime boss, Tenax (Iwan Rheon), whose scheming ultimately catches up with him and the kind of things he can control. There’s an overlay into the characters of Scorpus (Dimitri Leonidas), a leading if not shrewd charioteer, and Viggo (Johannes Johannesson), a muscly Norse gladiator who befriends the troubled Kwame (Moe Hashim) in gladiator training.
Kwame emerges as one of the more unique characters, in fact, and his story arc causes a greater plight that his mother, Cala (Sara Martins), must desperately resolve — Cala’s three children, Kwame, Aura (Kyshan Wilson), and Jula (Alicia Edogamhe), were sold off, the latter two as slaves. You’ll appreciate the depth of storytelling in this arc of the series, as Martins et al. effectively capture their tortured family unit. Other players factor in, but start taking notes.
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The actors unpack their epic new Peacock series from Roland Emmerich, which finds the duo playing brothers vying for the throne in Ancient Rome.
All Factions of Ancient Rome Represented
The Corsi brothers (Pepe Barroso, Eneko Sargadoy, Goncalo Almeida) deliver a fine turn as three Spanish siblings who come to Rome to sell horses, which were vital for chariot racing. They quickly become entrenched in the world of racing with Tenax as a guiding force. Not to be left out: The ruling class, here known as The Patricians. Think of them as a gaggle of families who own four factions of horse and chariot racing teams. They’re powerful and ruthless — cunning Antonia (Gabriella Pession) and her husband Marsus (Rupert Penry-Jones) stand out.
Bits that work: We loved the bro-to-bro bickering between Titus and JoJo, although we’ve seen this kind of sibling warfare far too many times to be surprised at how things unfold — ultimately. In addition to Kwame, Tenax, Cala, Viggo, and Viggo draw the most attention as characters, while the Corsi brothers, while effective, never command our attention. And Hopkins? Don’t expect an excess of scenes from the acclaimed actor. However, it’s Hopkins, so when he is on-screen, you cannot shake the man’s elán or commitment to his Emperor Vespasian.
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A Big Spectacle of Gladiators
Inspired by the 1958 book, Those About to Die by Daniel P. Mannix, the Ancient Rome backdrop is beyond impressive. Costume designer Gianni Casalnuovo nails the look of all the various classes in this setting. Production designers Johannes Muecke and Laura Pozzaglio must have spent endless hours conceptualizing the feel of this undertaking. Then there’s Visual Effects Supervisor Peter Travers, who reportedly used an enormous LED wall to create some of the battle sequences and chariot races. Breathtaking all around. We could use more of those scenes, in fact, as the allure is there, and their execution is handled expertly.
Writer/creator Robert Rodat wrote The Patriot, one of Roland Emmerich’s standout works, starring Mel Gibson. He employs a similar use of extras, long takes, and large sets here. The scenes look and feel vibrant, and his actors slip away into their roles. But it’s the fascinating gladiatorial competitions that win you over the most here. This is, after all, why we’ve tuned in. And why, perhaps, so many of us are chomping on the bit, waiting for Gladiator II.
Some may poo-poo Those About to Die for being overrun with characters and far too many details. And while that is a concern here, the series is alluring, nonetheless. There’s plenty of gore, too — severed limbs, burned bodies, stabbings, and all that gruesome sort of thing. It’s employed with a sobering level of realism, considering the time period. Chase scenes stand out, as do all the fighting scenes. Bravo. And while the series lacks a few main characters to anchor its narrative, Emmerich and company nonetheless deliver a glorious endeavor worthy of our consideration.
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