Rome (HBO TV Series) Review

Rome is a historical drama set in 1st century BC during the final days of the Roman Republic before it became an empire, and from what I've read online, it would seem as though Rome was actually pretty historically accurate, there is of course a fictional element with a certain level of embellishment, but if your favourite subject in school was history, Rome is probably as close to the truth as a TV series or film has gotten with this particular subject matter, I'm not a historian, I haven’t done any research on the matter, so I can’t say with any certainly what’s accurate and what isn't, but it doesn't matter, this a beautifully shot show with amazing visuals and fantastic set pieces, they capture the look and sound of Ancient Rome and it feels very authentic, the performances are great, the whole cast is brilliant and the writing is superb, and then it was cancelled.

Ciaran Hinds as Julius Caesar
Rome was broadcast on HBO and encompasses everything that comes with that, it was the original Game of Thrones, sex, violence and politics, but without the fantasy aspect, I loved this show, and it was such a shame that it got cancelled after only two seasons, Rome had so much more to offer, and the second season felt rushed and came across as a little messy, with years passing between episodes, sometimes scenes, with no explanation, I definitely feel like the time transitions weren't handled very well which is a shame because this was such a perfect show. The reason it ended up getting cancelled was due to low ratings and an extremely expensive budget, it was one of the most expensive TV shows ever made costing approximately $9 million per episode, and it shows. It was money well spent in my opinion, although I understand the decision to cancel it, it’s our fault really, the consumers, instead of consuming shit; we should have been giving this the viewing figures it deserved, but no, you’d rather watch fucking True Blood instead! It’s sickening.

Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo and
Kevin Mckidd as Lucius Vorenus
Despite taking place in such a historically iconic time, the two main characters are both fictional, Lucius Vorenus; played by Kevin McKidd, and Titus Pullo; played by Ray Stevenson. These two characters have one of the best and most believable friendships I've seen in a TV show, they have a great chemistry together and their relationship is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the show. Lucius is a stern Roman soldier, he’s respectable and trust worthy, but he’s very repressed and rarely shows any emotion, he doesn't know how, Titus on the other hand is very open and free, he understands people and he understands emotions, to a degree, he’s not a psychologist, he’s just a lot more in touch than Lucius is. Despite their differences, both of them are warriors, and both of them are headstrong causing them to bump those heads on many occasions.

Polly Walker as Atia of the Julii

The acting here is brilliant across the whole cast, everyone did a great job but outside our two protagonists, the most memorable performances come in the form of Ciaran Hinds as Julius Caesar, he really captures the stern faced ruthless Roman dictator as well as I've yet seen him captured, he’s calm and fully focused with a frightening intensity in his eyes, he carries himself in a respectful manner, but this is a man who solves problems with brutality, it was a great performance. James Purefoy as Mark Anthony, a Roman general and politician, his character was one of my favourites of the series, he’s selfish, indulgent, untrustworthy and disrespectful, I loved his character, he was the comic relief in a lot of scenes and he felt disconnected from the political side of it all, if it didn’t affect him, he didn’t care, he just wanted to maintain his position in life and enjoy it. Polly Walker as Atia of the Julii was a great performance; she does a great job at portraying the selfish and ruthlessly manipulative femme fatale of the series, she’s capable of treacherous deeds but remains somewhat loyal to those she loves, you’ll hate her, you’ll love her, she’s the most conflicted character in the show, it was a great performance. I also enjoyed both Mark Pirkis and Simon Woods portrayals of Gaius Octavian, the transition from one to the other did throw me off though, it felt so sudden. 

James Purefoy as Mark Anthony
Rome will forever be a tragically flawed masterpiece, the cancellation clearly had a big effect on the creative process and the last few episodes feel rushed, it’s still an enjoyable experience all the way through despite that and we do get some form of closure but you’ll definitely be left wanting more when season two ends, I would love to have seen where this went if it wasn't cancelled, I imagine it’s a beautiful place, but sadly we’ll never know, there were talks of a feature length film being in production to wrap up the story, but unfortunately that was nine years ago, so don’t get your hopes up too much for that. Rome had a great way of incorporating fact and fiction, the idea of two fictional characters being present during all these historical events, sometimes even having a big effect on them was a great idea and Rome paved a direct path for shows like Game of Thrones to be made, this was a fantastic show, and despite its flaws it’s still a masterpiece.

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