Pompeii - 1 smile

Director Paul W.S. Anderson doesn’t know if he wants “Pompeii” to be a disaster flick, a gladiator actioner or a Titanic-type romance. I suppose he could have taken two of these elements and be okay, but to mix all three results in an unfocused mess. And, to top it off, SPOILER ALERT, everyone dies at the end. Our hero Milo (Kit Harington) is the last member of a Celtic tribe of equestrians who are massacred by Roman soldiers led by Corvus (Keifer Sutherland) and his right-hand man, Proculus (Sasha Roiz). Milo manages to escape his parents’ fate at age 6, but he’s enslaved and, years later, becomes a killing machine who can enter an arena unarmed and take out three sword-wielding opponents. Because he’s so good, he’s sent to Pompeii. Along the way he meets Cassia (Emily Browning), the daughter of a powerful politician and Corvus and Proculus, who also happen to be in town.

Anderson creates effective simulations of the disaster although there are times when some of the images are so clearly computer-generated that the drama loses its tension. Harington gained fame as Jon Snow in HBO’s series, Game of Thrones and he’s going to be in several upcoming movies. However, the script for “Pompeii” doesn’t showcase his acting skills though he transformed his body for the role (like those six-pack abs) and there’s very little chemistry with Browning. In fact, there’s better chemistry between Harington and his gladiator friend, Atticus (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). “Pompeii” is a film that will appeal to no one – not historians, not action fans and certainly not romantics. 2/27/14