Nothing to Do with Recent "Roman Hype"

Rating: 7/10 (16 August 2007)

"The Last Legion" was initially released, outside of the US, as early as January of this year... which means it was signed, sealed, and delivered before that, and had probably been in the planning stages a couple of years before that. It takes a lot to get a movie to the silver screen. Considering this, I find it doubtful that we're looking at a 'hasty effort' to 'take advantage of recent Roman hype,' as some have said. Being highly fascinated by historical Rome, myself, I really haven't noticed much hype about it lately; only an HBO television drama and the unveiling of a full, 3-D computerized model of the city of Rome, as it would have appeared in ancient times, that was ten years in the making (which I read about in an online science feature, and never saw in any mainstream news source; they're all too busy hyping Lindsay Lohan, Brittney Spears, and Paris Hilton).
This is not a gore fest. This is not an adult movie in the "adults only" sense. It's not American made, so it's devoid of some of the Hollywood BS that everybody complains about... and then complains about not seeing when it's removed. It makes no pretenses at being anything other than what it is: a fantasy, with some historical elements, and some elements from a number of myths and legends thrown in. People are slamming this movie for not being historically accurate; they are slamming it because it doesn't have the greatest special effects. I say, take your children to it and have a fun family day with something that just might encourage their imagination.