Pompeii begins with a young boy named Milo witnessing the Romans murder his family and people. Milo is captured and enslaved. The movie jumps to the boy as a young man who is now a gladiator called Celt. His impressive gladiator skills result in him being sent to Pompeii to fight. On his transport to Pompeii, he crosses paths with a noble lady named Cassia whose horse is in pain. Celt comes from horse people and helps Cassia put the horse out of its misery. The two connect instantly. Cassia comes from a wealthy family in Pompeii, and she is returning from a year in Rome. 

Celt arrives in Pompeii and is cellmates with a gladiator champion named Atticus. If Atticus wins one more battle in the arena, he will earn his freedom. Celt is paired to fight Atticus in his final match. Simultaneously, Cassia reunites with her parents. Her father, Severus, is looking to start a new business venture in Pompeii and is hoping for investment from the Emperor. Senator Corvus, also a leader in the Roman army, comes to Pompeii to investigate the business opportunity. The Roman Emperor is not investing, but Senator Corvus would like to invest on his own. Corvus’ intentions are not pure because he has been pursuing Cassia romantically, but the feelings are not mutual. Senator Corvus also happens to be the leader of the army who killed Celt’s people. 

At this time, there was resistance and unrest among the people of Pompeii towards Rome. On the eve before the gladiator event, Cassia and Celt cross paths again, and he helps her calm her horse down. Celt rides the horse with Cassia up into the mountain and is punished for his actions. Corvus requests a change in the gladiator event, ensuring that Celt will be killed. This provides an opportunity for Celt and Atticus to work together and both win.

As the film reaches the climax, Mount Vesuvius is nearing its eruption. Milo and Atticus win the battle, and when Corvus can call for them to be killed, Cassia jumps in and signals for them to live. Corvis punishes Cassia by locking her up. Then the volcano begins to erupt, and everyone in Pompeii is trying to get to the harbor to sail away to safety. Milo goes to save Cassia and plans to meet back up with Atticus. In the process, there are more fights. Atticus wins and becomes a free man, and Milo saves Cassia and defeats Corvus. In the end, they all die as the magma from the volcano burns them all alive.

This film was a great watch, and it was interesting to see the negative feelings that the people of Pompeii had toward Rome. I would like to know more about the history and what occurred that made them feel that way. Additionally, it was intriguing to see the mock design for Severus’ business plan of the new chariot racing arena and other new infrastructure plans. The Romans had extremely extravagant designs, and it is very shocking to see what they built with the technology of the time.

Gladiator is about a Roman General Maximus, and it begins with him fighting a war for the dying and beloved Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. After Maximus leads the Romans to a triumphant victory against Germania, Marcus Aurelius tells Maximus that he wishes for him to succeed the throne and help the Roman senate transition the empire back to a republic. Marcus Aurelius also shares his wishes with his son Commodus. Commodus, angered and jealous that he would not be the emperor, kills his father and orders Maximus to be killed as well. Maximus escapes the soldiers that were ordered to kill him and then rides home to see his wife and son having been murdered also by Commodus’ orders. 

Maximus is then captured and sold as a slave and referred to as the Spaniard, being that his true identity is unknown. He is trained as a gladiator and eventually is taken to Rome to compete in the coliseum. Maximus’ owner teaches him to win the crowd by entertaining them, and he successfully achieves this in his first match in the coliseum. After the game, Maximus’ identity is revealed, and the new emperor, Commodus, knows he is alive. Another person who is shocked to see Maximus alive is Commodus’ sister, Lucilla. She has a romantic past with Maximus.

At this time, many characters in the film have negative feelings towards Commodus: the Roman senators are angry with dictatorial ways in which Commodus is leading Rome, specifically Gracchus, Lucilla lives in fear of her brother, and Maximus is looking to seek revenge on Commodus for the death of his family. As Maximus continues to compete in gladiator games with Commodus stacking the odds against him, Maximus, Lucilla, and Gracchus create a plan to overthrow Commodus. Through Lucilla’s son Lucius, Commodus learns of the organized coup. He thwarts it by sending Gracchus to prison, threatening Lucilla with her son’s death, and imprisoning Maximus after stopping his escape.

In the final scene, Commodus plans to fight Maximus in the arena only after he stabs him in the back to gain an advantage. Even after sustaining the injury, Maximus prevails over Commodus and kills him. Although Maximus is victorious, the stab wound is too much to overcome. Maximus tells the senators to take back Rome and make it a republic as it was Marcus Aurelius’ dying wish, and then Maximus dies too.

I enjoyed watching this film, and although it is historical fiction, it was fascinating to see many of the things we have learned about in class on the screen. One detail that stood out was Maximus’s SPQR tattoo, standing for Senatus Populusque Romanus, which means the Senate and the Roman People. It was also interesting to see the gladiator game come to life, including its effects on the fans and how Maximus’ success was so inspiring to them. Additionally, as we are soon heading into “the game,” it was intriguing to see the differing viewpoints of Rome as an empire and a republic.