Released: 18th July 2024
Number of Episodes: 10
Where To Watch: Peacock or Amazon Prime
Certificate: 18
Created by: Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner
Starring: Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones and Gabriella Pession
Since the days of Ben-Hur, sword-and-sandal epics have captivated many audiences. Ancient Rome has entered the small-screen many times before with Spartacus and other efforts. The latest release is Those About To Die from Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner, an ambitious effort that ultimately spreads itself too thin.
Based on the book by Daniel P. Mannix, the series takes place in AD 79. The Roman masses are growing unruly which prompts the construction of iconic entertainment venues and dicey blood sports. We follow several different stories with many motivations. The shrewd negotiator Tenax (Iwan Rheon) runs his betting house for maximum profits, a Numidian mother named Cala (Sara Martins-Court) attempts to free her children from slavery, a band of Spanish horseman push hard to win, a wealthy family attempts to manipulate both chariot racing and politics in their favour and the two sons of the Emperor, Titus (Tom Hughes) and Domitian (Jojo Macari), trade wits over the passing of power. Across ten episodes, the audience is given many threads to follow and the depth of each can often feel lacking. The show does succeed at immersing the audience, but isn’t able to draw out a complete investment. The final episode feels especially clumsy; we have a major climax in the coliseum which works well, but the narrative continues and rushes to finish up the other plot threads with a tacked on showdown with a lion. Between a hostile takeover away from the city and the continued running of the betting house, Those About To Die is more concerned with setting up for a second season than delivering a cohesive ending.
A wide range of stories brings a wider range of backgrounds; this is the main strength of the performances. The ways they differ reflect the levels of Roman society, though again the overall depth does leave much to be desired. Iwan Rheon is perfectly serviceable as Tenax, but he doesn’t offer much to set his performance apart from previous efforts. Cala, her son Kwame (Moe Hashim) and daughters Aura and Jula are the most sympathetic characters as they are forced to take desperate measures to survive on the bottom rung. When Kwame enters the arena to fight, the series delivers the most dramatic tension, but the main downfall of the series is revealed over time; Kwame befriends a Northman fighter named Viggo (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) and his own family is very underdeveloped. There are simply too many characters to keep track of and as a result, only a small portion of the cast reaches their full potential. Many of the minor characters could have been condensed or removed to deliver more memorable performances. Admittedly, Anthony Hopkins goes by underused; as Emperor Vespasian he strikes a great balance between authority and reflection, but the venerable actor actor bows out early on, leaving the mantle to Tom and Jojo. The two younger actors do a reasonable job, but their impact at the highest levels of Roman society is less than ideal.
From start to finish, Those About To Die serves up a detailed glimpse of history. Rome looks just as good as other renditions with the divide between the peasants and aristocracy put on display. Costume-work and set designs are very strong with a great sense of scale. The computer-generated elements blend well with the backdrops with the grand set piece being the opening ceremony at the Coliseum. It’s a lavish display of dancers, captured animals and fighting men that really shows off the extravagance of the setting. Unavoidably, there is some heavy repetition across the ten episodes. Each one has a chariot race or gladiator battle with the show attempting to mix things up with different camera angles and framing. The frequent use of sexual content feels more jarring than anything else; it ends up distracting from the story and characters over time and should have been dialled back. Still, the wider presentation and aesthetics are on good form. The main theme composed by Woodkid feels strong and weighty and other tracks are a great fit for the more visceral sequences.
Those About To Die offers a fine representation of ancient Rome while also treating the audience to a range of stories from all sides of the Empire. It does end up tipping over with so many characters and threads to keep track of. It needed to trim and focus the story while making the most of its leading cast members. Still, fans of history will be entertained for ten hours.
Rating: 3/5 Stars (Fair)
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