We’ve had plenty of Ancient Rome movies and TV shows over the years, many of them classics. You’d be forgiven for thinking the genre is played out, yet Peacock is gamely throwing its hat in the gladiatorial ring with Those About to Die Season 1.
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Which begs the two-pronged question: Why this story, why now? Unfortunately, Those About to Die‘s first 10 episodes never really come up with a convincing answer. As a sword-and-sandal epic, it’s effective yet overly familiar escapist entertainment. As a commentary on the interplay between politics and sport – then and now – it’s no less familiar, but far less effective.
Is this enough to kill Those About to Die Season 1? Not quite. But it will disappoint anyone looking for a fresh take on the established “Ancient Rome epic” template.
Based on Daniel P. Mannix’s book of the same name, Those About to Die is a fictionalized retelling of the real-life Flavian dynasty. But rather than focus solely on Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins), his rival sons Titus (Tom Hughes) and Domitian (Jojo Macari), and their enemies in the Senate, Season 1 also considers the street (and gutter) perspective. So, we also follow the exploits of gambling kingpin Tenax (Iwan Rheon), Numidian mom Cala (Sara Martins), gladiator Kwame (Moe Hashim), chariot driver Scorpus (Dimitri Leonidas), and more besides. Collectively, their fates shape the future of an entire empire.
If nothing else, it’s ambitious. Few movies or TV shows about Ancient Rome cover that society and its workings in such detail, and this is closest Those About to Die Season 1 comes to pushing the genre forward. Yet the first season’s sprawling narrative is also its Achilles’ heel. There are so many characters to keep track of – and we need so much context to understand their respective storylines – that Those About to Die takes too long to get its story up and running. Don’t let all the chariot races fool you: Season 1’s pacing is often frustratingly sluggish.
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That would be fine, if the cast picked up the slack with riveting performances. Sadly, that’s not the case. Don’t get me wrong: the acting is largely serviceable. But no one is delivering career best work, either. And if you compare the acting in Those About to Die with that of 2024’s other big-budget period epic, Shōgun, it often seems downright cartoonish. Still, several cast members – particularly Rheon, Martins, and Hashim – do enough to keep us invested. Hopkins is also predictably captivating, elevating his scenes despite being on autopilot.
Besides, it’s not as though series creator Robert Rodat and his writers’ room give Those About to Die Season 1’s ensemble much to work with. The show’s dialogue is frequently workman-like and awkwardly anachronistic. Fortunately, both the performances and scripting deliver when it counts. Indeed, Those About to Die Season 1’s final episode is a disarmingly moving bit of business that rewards viewers’ patience. Composer Andrea Farri deserves a least some of the credit for this. His evocative scoring lends proceedings more emotional weight than they would otherwise have.
Of course, Those About to Die‘s sheer sweep all does plenty of heavy lifting, too. Who can deny the pure visceral impact of Ancient Rome, especially when it’s so lavishly realized? From its very first frame, the series does an impressive job of building an entire world via convincing sets, elaborate costumes, and mostly seamless visual effects. The action is expertly staged and executed (pun fully intended), too. But then, you’d expect nothing less given Independence Day‘s Roland Emmerich is in the director’s chair for Season 1’s more spectacle-driven installments. Admittedly, there’s probably one chariot race too many (and the finale is a tad overblown), however, most viewers won’t mind.
As noted above, your mileage will also vary on Those About to Die Season 1’s more cerebral elements. Not every pop culture title needs to double as a hard-hitting commentary on contemporary concerns. There is (and always will be) room for a story that’s timeless rather than timely. Yet Those About to Die clearly wants to be both. Rodat, Emmerich, and co. are at pains across Season 1’s 10-episode run to highlight the parallels between Rome then and our world now. They just don’t really have anything interesting to add to the discussion. Rich people use entertainment to distract and exploit poor people; tell me something I didn’t know.
But if you’re tuning in solely for the blood and guts (and more power to you) Those About to Die‘s insight-lite storytelling probably won’t matter. There’s enough of that in Season 1 to make its various other shortcomings bearable. Yet even on this more superficial level, Those About to Die is too often an underwhelming hollow exercise – not unlike the gladiatorial games themselves.
Those About to Die Season 1 premieres on Peacock on July 18, 2024.
Published: Jul 17, 2024 04:33 pm