JULY NEWSLETTER
New epic historical tv shows were released, Vikings Valhalla has concluded and a lot more exciting news occurred in the month of July!
THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REVIEW
I have recently watched all 10 episodes available for Those About to Die and will aim to provide an indepth analysis and critique of the show as there is alot to like in this new historical epic but also an equally large number of shortcomings as well. So in this video I will be giving as much of a spoiler free as possible review of what I think about those about to die and what I consider to be the pros and cons of this show.
PLOT
So I will say right off the bat that those about to die is a series which is not as bad as many people are making it out to be but it's also nowhere near the quality I was expecting either. But let us start off with discussing the plot of the series first:
The primary plot which gets the most dedicated screen time especially in the early episodes is the politics and social manoeuvring needed to successfully establish a new chariot racing faction in Rome. This is not a premise I was expecting to say the least and to be honest its not really a plot thats really well done or very interesting either. Unfortunately tho, this plot actually takes up a large chunk of the series till about episode 4 where some more side plots start to grain traction and screen time, but chariot racing and horses always remains a constant throughout the show.
I have to highlight that anyone looking for an action filled adventure with lots of battles and hand to hand combat will be highly disappointed as this series has 0 large scale battles and the gladiator fights with the exception of 1 are pretty lacklustre and not really that well done. Which is a real shame as the storyline about Kwame training to become a gladiator could have been an interesting premise to explore but it hardly gets any screen time and Kwame goes from being a noob at fighting with a net and trident to professional with very little build up or learning curve displayed.
However tho, by episode 6 the politics of the series finally starts getting interesting as we get to see Domitian's political manoeuvring starting to bear fruit. So the elements of the plot which focuses on the politics of roman society by various senators, patricians and plebs to gain more influence for themselves makes for some pretty interesting tv to watch.
Also I have to say that the trailers make it seem like Anthony Hopkins as Vespasian will play a big role in the series but he really doesn't feature in Those About to Die all that much. This is a real shame as he is a historical figure would have been very interesting to explore.
My biggest critique with Those About to Die is that theres just too much going on, there are at least 6 different storylines at play and that means there isn’t enough screen time to make any of the plots feel believable or authentic. There are also many plot devices which are used to push the narrative forward but make no logical sense such as slaves sneaking in and out of houses at all times of the day and night, even sneaking into the house of a consul or powerful senator without any great difficulty. We have a strong female lead who knows every language under the sun but we no explanation to how or why she developed this skill is ever given and of course once the female arrives in Rome she is better at her job than all the stupid men that have been doing the job for years after just a few days. So many clichés and nonsensical events occur in this series which hinder the overall quality and engagement for me as a viewer.
ACTING
One of the better aspects of this new historical tv series is the acting which is pretty good overall, some actors play their roles to perfection, others are just terrible but i would say 75% of the cast in this series is decent and believable. However, the star performance of this series has to definitely go to Iwan Rheon who absolutely steals the show as Tenax and he is brilliant in every scene, with one emotional scene involving some misfortune befalling a child he cared for and the acting on display there was just amazing, one of the few scenes that actually brought some realism and authenticity to the show. Initially I believed Jojo Macari as Domitian was miscast after about halfway through the series his performance began to grow on me and I think Jojo did an excellent job in his role as well. Sara Martins is also another actor who I believe deserves praise as the female lead of the series, her character is not believable and not all that well developed but Sara Martins does the best with what she has available and her acting can’t be faulted in way or form.
However, and I can’t believe I am saying this but Anthony Hopkins performance was lacklustre in Those About To Die and he did little to bring any sense of grandeur or realism to his character in the minimal screen time he possessed. Also I was not overly impressed by the actor who plays Titus as I feel like has just one expression and emotion throughout the entire series, whether he is happy, sad, angry or horny his facial expression changes very little in any of the scenes. Lastly, another lowlight performance in my opinion would be Moe Hashim who does a pretty poor job of portraying Kwame, again similar to actor who plays Titus, he is very monotone and wears a wooden expression everytime he is on the screen.
Cinematography & Production Quality
So I know this might be a bit controversial but I think the cinematography and overall production quality in Those About to Die was pretty decent and yes I know the CGI was a bit poor at places especially in the arena where the chariot racing takes place. But the majority of other set pieces are really well detailed and if you watch those about to die on a large high spec oled tv you will definitely be blown away by how visually impressive many of the shots and scenes are.
DIALOGUE
The dialogue and costume design are definitely 2 areas of this show which I found to be very disappointing, I am no historian by any means and I dont mind shows being historically inaccurate or inauthentic if it helps enhance the story telling. But this series seems to have an obsession with blue and even the legionaries or praetorian guard are wearing blue armour and plumes which is a needless historical inaccuracy which does not benefit the story in any way or form. Also the dialogue in this show is easily some of the worst I have ever seen in a large budget historical production, much of the dialogue is very simple, obvious and just poorly written, making characters such as Vespasian who were already badly portrayed even worse. One review I read before I watched this series was that; this show seems like the script was written by a bunch of high school students rather than a professional writing team. To say they were right is an understatement as the high school kids writing for Those About to Die weren't the cleverest in the class either.
Also I found it really irritating that this show continually depicted the fact that gladiators would primarily fight to the death, with surviving a battle in the arena being a slim probability. Historically, this has never the case and I don't like the fact that a show so heavily based on politics and finance, happily depicts the costs of running a chariot team. But completely ignores the financial impossibility of running a gladiatorial school where everyone is expected to only fight to the death.
The chariot racing tho is really fascinating to watch and I enjoyed it much more than I initially expected to and I think this show highlights the pros and cons of chariot racing and how important this sport was to the commonfolk really well. Also the background music and musical score within the series is excellent and I am glad to confirm there were no rap or hip hop songs used within the show.
CONCLUSION
So overall the series does a lot of things correct in the audiovisual department but the series failed overall in depicting Rome in an accurate or entertaining way. Furthermore, the dialogue declines the quality of an already not so stellar tv series but a talented cast helps keep the viewer engaged throughout most of the show. Unfortunately, too many subplots and a dull primary story about chariot racing makes it difficult to feel like you are ever truly engrossed within the series. So to conclude I would give Those About to Die a 5/10 and I would say if you are a fan of Rome or historical tv shows I do think there is enough here to keep you engaged for a one time watch but I don’t think it will be getting a second season or any more mainstream attention.
VIKINGS VALHALLA COMES TO AN END
The final season of Vikings Valhalla which got released exclusively to Netflix this month and season 3 of the series was suppose to wrap up several ongoing plots and hopefully provide the characters with a meaningful and believable conclusion. But with the exception of Canute, all the characters are left with very open ended and non conclusive endings. Furthermore, the last episode of the series definitely did not feel like it was the last episode of Vikings Valhalla as literally 90% of the cast are still trying to complete unfulfilled tasks and ambitions. I have made a video which covers the real historical deaths of Leif, Harald, Freydis, Canute, Emma of Normandy and Forkbeard in this video Vikings Valhalla Characters Real Deaths so feel free to check it out if you want to know how the lives of these characters actually ended. But overall I felt this final season of vikings valhalla lacked focus, was far too rushed and tried to do too much in a very limited episode count. However, as always the cinematography was decent, the acting was good and some fight sequences were well done. But overall in my opinion season 3 of Vikings Valhalla was a huge disappointment and i don't think it rounded up the character arcs of the majority of the characters very well at all.
KING & CONQUEROR CAST UPDATES
We have also received some updates on the new King and Conqueror mini series, an upcoming historical drama which will delve into the many conquests and battles of William the Conqueror. The updates received this month about this BBC exclusive historical drama primarily focus around new additions to the cast, such as Leo Legrand being confirmed to portray William’s half brother Odo of Bayeux. Six other cast members Elander Moore, Indy Lewis, Jason Forbes , Ines Asserson , Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson and Ingvar Sigurdsson have also been linked to King and Conqueror as well. The series has already wrapped up production in Iceland and BBC has secured distribution rights for King and Conqueror in the UK and Paramount will be handling worldwide distribution. It has been confirmed that this series is currently going through post production and if we are lucky we may be able to even see King and Conqueror on our television screens by the end of this year or early 2025.
SPARTACUS HOUSE OF ASHUR CAST UPDATE
The final piece of news I wanted to share for the month of July is that we have received some updates on the cast that will be joining the upcoming Spartacus spinoff, Spartacus House of Ashur. Alongside Nick Tarabay as Ashur, Graham McTavish, Tenika Davis, Jamaica Vaughan, and Ivana Baquerohave been added to the cast. However, the biggest addition to the cast was the confirmation that Lucy Lawless will be returning as Lucretia for this spinoff. Lucy Lawless’s character was one of the best portrayed characters and definitely a fan favourite so her return to the show is a much welcomed surprise. Spartacus the House of Ashur is currently in early stages of development in New Zealand, but as I find out more about this thrilling new addition to the Spartacus world I will be sure to let you all know.