ROME: HBO series review

[Peter_Suciu]

HBO's latest epic has arrived. After one episode it is apparent that ROME is truly the cable network's best effort to date. Rich in details, filled with fantastic (yet believable) dialog, great characterization of historical figures and the most truly impressive recreation of historic settings ever presented on the screen. Move over I Claudis, ROME is now the best retelling of the classical world.

Other than the BBC styled British accents (which seems to be the traditional thing to do for Roman history) it felt more like watching history than a TV series. Part political pot-boiler and part historical epic the show is a wonderful costume drama filled with equal blends of intrigue, action, romance (if that's what you call it) and even moments of comic relief.

The combat sequences, while being much smaller in scale than Gladiator or Troy, manage to evoke the intensity of an ancient battlefield. A few anachronistic moments aside ROME effectively captures the details of warfare in the age of the Roman Republic, yet actually becomes restrained in regards to the perversity of the population at home. The sex scenes, while almost as intense as the battle scenes, actually push the limits for an original series--certainly even beyond such fare as Sex and the City or The Sopranos--yet further show the indulgences of the decadent Republic as it transitions to even more decadent Empire.

There isn't much mystery--as least to anyone who has read about Roman history--but it will still be interesting to see where the series goes, and how it gets there. 2005 will be the Fall (TV season) of ROME.

[PaulR]

I too have been eagerly awaiting last night's airing! I loved it. What I enjoyed most was the focus. Although I enjoy great battle scenes, I very much appreciated getting a look at the underlying politics and humanities of the time. A lot of effort went into getting into the mindset of these people. (one example being Pompey's young wife apologizing for her failed pregnancy...before dying herself! Another is him being set up with someone else's wife shortly there after!)

I am looking forward to seeing next weeks episode!!!

Best regards
Paul Reck

[JaimeH]

It was critically panned in Sunday's paper, boring was the word they used.


Probably didn't have enough explosions for their liking.

[trotlin13]

Watched the series with three friends, 2 who happen to be scholars on Roman history. "Dreadful," "abysmal," and "boring" was the consensus. The script was unimaginative containing far too many contemporary patterns of speech, and the characters were overly cliched.

[Simon O.]

I quite liked the first episode. The centurion and bad boy legionary characters are a tad cliched but all in all pretty good i thought.

[JasonS]

I liked it. I didn't care for the animated graffiti in the opening credits, but thats just me. I hope it turns out as good as Deadwood is.

[Gary Cain]

I too was looking forward to it but I must say I was underwhelmed. The dialogue was stilted, and their historical authenticity was abyssmal. To state that the loss of your Personal Standard is unimportant, as the 13 year old said, is ridiculous. Rome marched several Legions to the gates of the kingdom of Parthia and demanded the Standards that had been captured in previous conflicts and they were returned to avoid combat. The production values are very good and the casting I think is pretty good, but in the end no one is going to get the slightest idea of what Rome was truly like. Which in my mind is quite disappointing.

For five points when the Tenth Legion was in revolt in Germany what two words did Caesar say to bring them back? Additionally they were for ever after 100% devoted to him and were the best Legion in the Roman army for a long time after that.

Gary