Allan Hunter

24 May 2012

Centurion is certainly atmospheric but the brutality and beheadings make it disappointingly monotonous.

23 May 2012

HK Neo Reviews Centurion

A brutal ancient actioner...The film pans out exactly as the trailer, offers nothing new, done todeath story, but somehow, this brutal portrayal of the Romans battlingfor survival against the tribes of forestry is exciting enough for theentire duration. Save for a letdown in the formula romantic subplot,the film serves the audience well, with an efficient actioner thatoffers nothing special, nothing new and nothing memorable.Michael Fassbender leads a cast of non-Hollywood heavy weights.Fassbender makes a charismatic hero to follow, while offering nothingingenious in terms of acting; he is suitably capable as a leader of themagnificent seven. The highlight and eye candy comes in the form offormer Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko, who displays some meaty acting chopsby being outright nasty. Perhaps aided by being a mute, Olga is greatand if she shed a few more of those cloths on her, it will be evengreater. Shame it didn't happen, but she is certainly one very hotheroine.All in all, Centurion delivers action, action, blood, blood, violence,violence and absolute brutality. For that it entertained me from startto finish. Yes, I am a casual ancient historian, but if you discountthe factor of any historical accuracy and embrace the film as a fictionor even a fantasy. Centurion can be a joy ride and not unlike the Zthtime of going on the same roller-coaster, Centurion offers the thrilland entertainment, if not for long after the duration. A decent filmfor what it is worth...(Neo 2010) I rate it 6.5/10

Dave White

18 May 2012

Michael Fassbender can carry a movie.

17 May 2012

Dont waste your money

Bad acting on top of an even worse script was painful enough. Add in the utterly gratuitous violence and some of the worst computer-generated special effects-- seriously, I haven't seen such tacky blood-gushing scenes since the Wild Bunch made in since the 1960s-- and you have the makings of a truly terrible film. The Eagle was a decent enough film and if you were hoping for an inspired story of the Ninth Legion you won't find it here. So the Scottish scenery was beautiful ... in the viewer's imagination it was left scarred and worse for the wear by this toothache of a film.

David Edwards

17 May 2012

While there's a terrific battle near the start as the Romans are ambushed by the locals, the realisation soon dawns that this is a deeply average chase movie.

JenP70

17 May 2012

Typical of the genre

I found the movie to be entertaining overall. I enjoyed the main characters but found the overall feel to be a little flat. Most interestingly, I almost paid the 10.99 price on demand charges for the pre theatre release but found it on accident on the channel HDNet on my fios. I am glad that I didnt' pay to see it, although I would have felt it worth ten bucks, because it's on cable for free...Which makes me wonder how it can be released on 08/27 in the theatres and for a fee?

chaotic33

14 May 2012

visually nice but too much of an ingredient movie

I should say this review contains spoilers although i really feel thereis not much to spoil :P It's a genre I have a weakness for (historicaldrama) so I thought I could enjoy it despite the slightly sub standardreviews and rating. But alas, no. It really boiled down to a mix of alltoo familiar ingredients. The Hollywood-newfound grittiness of Romansin the cold climate(gladiator), the chase, the jumping from a highcliff to escape, the black sheep in our midst. And in the end it getworse: the girl that the hero is getting (you see this coming frommiles away what makes it more unbearable) and then the awkward andabsurd getting attacked by your own rulers, victim of the system ploy.The last implemented as a means to surprise the audience and have themleave with the feeling they have been watching an unpredictable andmeaningful movie. Duh!

14 May 2012

4 stars deserved.

It's not the best movie I've seen, however I liked it. Could have been done better. Too many times you hear the f* word in this movie, too many. And the battles are way too bloody. Scenes are unrealistic. Example: when a guy on the horse drags a man into a tree with his face, face breaks into pieces. Also a fault when a woman without tongue suddenly screams. In reality she wouldn't be able to scream. The battles may not be very realistic looking, but story is fine.

Jonathan Price

09 May 2012

Like a made for TV pilot

As one reviewer has already said this movie consisted of a lot of bloodand guts and heads being chopped off. However the plot was miserable –with no discernible beginning, middle and end. At the end of the movieI was just waiting for a title to come up saying, "follow theadventures of a centurion in England in the coming TV series". The leadcharacter Quintus Dias, didn't command your attention and the bad guysseemed rather two dimensional. In fact the whole cast came across asmediocre and bland. The love element was again rather feeble – thewitch character being totally unbelievable – and the ending waspredictable.All in all it was just interesting enough to keep you awake, but if ithad cut off half way through I wouldn't have noticed that I'd missedthe end.

zetes

09 May 2012

Dull, ugly and mostly forgettable

Director Neil Marshall showed a lot of promise with his sophomorefeature, The Descent. It was far from perfect, but it was a rare horrormovie that was actually frightening. Marshall has unfortunately notadvanced any since then. His followup, Doomsday, was an okay B movie,but it was most definitely forgettable. Centurion, his fourth movie (Inever have caught up with his debut, Dog Soldiers), is even worse thanDoomsday. It's a story about a group of Roman soldiers, led by MichaelFassbender, caught behind enemy lines, trying to make their way toHadrian's Wall before the Picts, led by mute tracker Olga Kurlyenko,hunt down and kill them. When it's nothing but running and chasing, itain't half bad. Anything resembling plot, though, stinks. I couldbarely understand the mush-mouthed Brits that populate the movie(apparently the Romans were made up of Cockney bootblacks), and whenthe Picts are subtitled, the font and color of the subtitles areillegible. The film has that awful processed blue tint throughout, andthe action is edited in such a way that it's often hard to follow(also: CGI blood).

Dan Jolin

09 May 2012

A gritty, brutal chase movie that's more about swords (and spears, and axes) than sandals -- although it could have done with a lot more character-meat on those bones.

Bezenby

08 May 2012

People being chased by Something - AGAIN

Och! Neil Marshall keeps making films about people being chased bythings. In Dog Soldiers there were army guys being chased bywerewolves...in the Descent lady potholers were being chased by albinofolks...Doomsday had folks being chased by cannibal Glaswegians...soCenturion marks Neil Marshall's move into the world of...Roman Soldiersbeing pursued by Pict assassins....Och! Michty! Help ma eyes! This wan is pish, an no braw. Och. I live inScotland and ain't ever set eyes on dishes like the assassins here! TheBroons! Crivvens! I can't explain how bad this one is! Ever tried toWILL a film to be good. Doesn't work. Must try harder, Marshall, or yergonna git chibbed ya bass

westenicho

08 May 2012

Just to elaborate a bit...

This movie was entertaining and exceeded expectations. I love historyand am a history degree holder with an emphasis and ancient IndoEuropean culture. I'm not here to tear into this movie as a I felt itwas just fine, but rather try to deflect some "junk" history that somepeople seem to throw into the mixed reviews. Please, if you're going totry to add your own mish-mash of history, at least make sure it'scorrect.That's right, I'm talking about you "Russ-was-here". Firstly, yourreview is off base on many levels, I'll try to answer some of those ina light hearted manner...The fact that you consider Braveheart to be a "factual" representationof history is laughable, by this alone we can't take you seriously inyour review of this movie. William Wallace wasn't running around thebattlefield in a kilt, hate to break it to you.You noted the wide variety of accents here. Is this shocking to youthat actors from around the world took part in a movie, and that theyall had different accents? The Pict language has been dead for quitesome time, while there are rumors that the last confirmed speaker ofPict died in the 1950s, are we to expect the actors in this movie allspeak ancient dialects of dead languages? get real (yes, that appliesto Latin as well).Perhaps your biggest mistake in assuming history of this movie is yourstatement: "Then comes the fight scenes and complete absence ofinteresting Roman tactics, when attacked and flanked on a long narrowpath they simply form a 1 man thick shield wall and wait..." If you hadactually studied Roman history (which I'm certain at this juncture youhave not even cracked open a Tacitus or Pliny or Martial or any otherRoman historian) then you would know the Battle of Teutoberg Wald quitewell. In fact the battle that takes place in this movie is a neardepiction of what the Germans did to the Romans when they destroyed 3Roman legions while walking through the Black Forest. Ah yes, some ofus actually DO study history. The Romans had no choice but to marchnearly single file through a road, when they realized they were flankedon both sides (the line was 14 miles long, thus the battle took placeover a 14 mile stretch) the Romans had no choice but to form up as bestthey could in the road. This proved devastating as it forced Romans tofight hand to hand combat against German soldiers who were more skilledin the area of hand to hand combat.You mention that the Picts were known for their chariot warfare. Celts(Picts were a Celtic people) were well known for chariot warfare, aswere many peoples in the Roman world, as you can see in this movie(especially the battle scene) using chariots would be quite a stupidmove as they were in dense forest (use your brain, boy). As we can seewith the final battle between Boudicca and Rome, using chariots was notalways advantageous. In fact Boudicca sealed her army's fate byfollowing an infantry charge with chariots (effectively crushing herinfantry between Roman shields and Iceni chariots).You also mention they fought naked. Indeed, many Indo Europeans foughtin the buff, but that doesn't mean they all walked around in the buffall the time. They were dressed like Vikings you say? You have an oddpreconceived notion of what the Vikings dressed like, personally I sawno Pict wearing chainmail (something Normans and Vikings were wellknown for). Furthermore it's a myth to believe that all Celts, Germansor any other Indo Europeans always fought naked. Many barbarian tribeswere incredibly well equipped by 117AD as armor proved to be more andmore of a necessity. We also see that Germanic and Celtic armor had adirect influence on Roman armor (Romans borrowed their helmet stylefrom the Gauls for example). As for the movie? It's setting is in thewinter, it would make no sense for Picts to be in the buff all thetime. This is common sense.Is this overkill? Yup. But I find your post to be (how did you put it?)completely devoid of historical facts. Does this movie have clichés ofthe time? Yup. Is the acting Oscar worthy? Probably not. Should we sithere and cry about it? nope. Just enjoy the movie. Nobody here isclaiming this is a spitting image of 117AD in the northern UK(shocking, I know), but your post is ill informed and misleading.Anyways, this is an entertaining movie and you certainly get the feelfor the day. Engaging and exciting, certainly worth a view.

Roger Smith

07 May 2012

Just to elaborate on the elaboration.

First the elaboration, westenicho did some fine historical correctionin his review I just want raise one point. The word decimate whichfeatures strongly in the blurbs for this movie is, as usual, usedwrongly normally I would ignore it but not in this context. Decimatecomes from Latin meaning "removal of a tenth", if the ninth had beendecimated there would be 2,700 survivors not 7. Decimatio was a Romanpunishment for troops/units guilty of cowardice where one in ten wasexecuted.The film itself was better than I expected with fewer errors in terrainthan some others, though the mountains at the start looked moreimpressive than I was expecting.

klam0500

06 May 2012

Battles, Blood Warrior Women....whats not to like?

This is a straight forward tale of a band of Roman soldiers beinghunted down by Pict warriors in the stunning surroundings of theScottish mountains.Whilst the dialogue and script won't exactly win any Oscars, the filmwas entertaining enough with plenty of blood & guts fighting scenes.Olga Kurylenko was actually quite convincing in her portrayal of abrutal ice cold warrior, much better than Keira Knightley's portrayalof a female warrior in King Arthur. Perhaps Olga not having to utter aword in the entire film as she portrays a Pict who had her tongue cutout was a clever way to make her character more cold and mysterious.I wouldn't quite go as far as one of the previous posters who describesthe first major battle scene on a par with the opening scene in"Gladiator". Indeed some of the small criticisms I would level would bethe use of very fast action shots during some of the fight scenes, i.ethe camera motion is faster than your eye can register, think openingcar chase in "Quantom of Solace" and you get the picture.What really stands out in the film though is the stunning back drop ofthe Scottish mountains, It's like "Highlander" all over again onlybetter!Centurion, doesn't carry the "epic" status as other movies like"Gladiator","Braveheart" or "Kingdom of heaven", no it's on a muchsmaller scale and doesn't really spend too much time on characterdevelopment on either the Pict or Roman sides. I suppose in a way ithelps this film as it doesn't get bogged down in lengthy dialogue, butconcentrates more on action.Whilst this film won't score too highly on the originality stakes, it'sa good effort in an all too neglected genre.

Cole Smithey

06 May 2012

Gory, and tempered with just enough ancient political influence to give it substance, "Centurion" is a more gratifying experience than Ridley Scott's recent Britain-based adventure "Robin Hood."

02 May 2012

centurion rules

This review is from: Centurion (DVD) Doomsday (Unrated Widescreen Edition)The Descent (Original Unrated Cut) [Widescreen Edition]Dog Soldiers thankfully neil marshall is at it again, reinventing another film genre, this time, the gladiator epic and succeeding where others have failed.( although starz' "spartacus" was great) at times the story is a bit predictible but there are a few twists that are unexpected. the outdoor locations are stunning, the decapitations bloody and the action never stops. i like how marshall always has strong female icons in his films. here we have the devourer and the witch. then there is michael fassbender, who is such an intense actor in everything he's in( inglorious basterds, fishtank, hunger....to name a few) he has the good looks, acting talent & charisma to be a bigger leading man than clive owen. has anyone taken notice? dominic west from "the wire" also stars. this was never in theaters here in nyc, so it was a great treat to finally see another neil marshall film. buy or rent this now!

Vavavoommm

02 May 2012

Enjoyable hack and slash romp

This film is enjoyable if you take it for what it is: a simple hack andslash romp. It's certainly not another Gladiator. It has nothing likethat film's subtlety or moral depth. Nor are its action scenes on apar, although they are good. The script could probably have benefited from another round ofdrafting. Some of the story elements don't make a lot of sense if youthink about them too much; others are insufficiently well-developed. Dominic West is excellent as the Roman general; Olga Kurylenko and DaveLegeno are both striking, although they have no speaking parts.The camera work was evocative and moody, certainly on a higher planethan the script. Much like Marshall's Doomsday, this is an enjoyable action flick aslong as you sit back and don't think about it too much.

30 April 2012

Solid

I thought this was a solid action picture. I think anyone who enjoys Braveheart, Spartacus, Troy and such will enjoy this film. I would put it in the range of Pathfinder or King Arthur, but that doesn't mean it is not enjoyable. Good direction, great locations and tons of gory battle make it a fun watch. The story is not perfect but it is not bad. Having studied the history of the Roman empire they were correct with the timeline and series of events. Though the actual fate of the famous lost legion has never been discovered, so that part of the movie is speculative fiction. A few minor quibbles about camp accuracy aside, it is a good movie and one I plan to purchase.

30 April 2012

Good filming, bad story

I love fantasy movies, and usually don't even need a good story, but this film is just undeveloped and empty. Beautifully empty, though. The locations have great variety: mountains, rivers, forests. The costumes are detailed and look authentic on both sides. The fighting is ok: nice weapons and armor, but filmed with too many quick camera cuts. The characters are attractive: the hunter looks mysterious and the Roman leader looks leader-ish. But again there is an emptiness: there is little personality displayed at all. The story is at times not just empty, it is absurd. An entire legion follows one Pictish woman? 7 wounded and tired men on foot evade a skilled tracking party on horseback in their native land? The trackers get within range of a throwing axe and lose them? The tracker sees no signs inside or outside the hut that the Romans were with the witch? The hunted decide to fight what looks like an evenly matched hunting party only after running hundreds of miles, starving, and losing half their men? Thax the Roman just appears one night after so many miles and gets such a chilly reception as if anyone could know killing the Pict child would start the hunt, and then draws his sword on another Roman within site of Hadrian's Wall? Just bizarre.