Brittania Series on Amazon - Season 1

Earlier this month, I saw an advertisement for a new show on Amazon (free with a Prime subscription). The new series, Brittania, takes place in 43 AD. The Romans have returned to Brittania after a crushing weather-assisted defeat at the hands of the Gauls. The Romans are led by General Aulus (David Morrissey) who must navigate the complex inner turmoil among the tribes while negotiating peace. The end game is to bring Brittania under Roman rule, collect taxes and maintain peace. The tribes, along with their mysterious druid priest, have other ideas.

At first blush, Brittania appears to be a period drama. I quickly realized that this story departed from normal dramatic themes into the realm of fantasy. The film combines a heavy dose of supernatural with more traditional story lines. I have watched several episodes thus far and still haven't decided how this aspect plays out for me. It certainly adds a lot of latitude for storytelling. And who doesn't like a good story? But sometimes the fantasy elements muddle the story more than augment it.

Brittania has a few familiar faces. Although primarily a British undertaking, some of the actors have been in popular shows and films. Most prominent is Morrissey, who was brilliant as The Governor in the Walking Dead series. He feels a bit typecast in his role as Aulus, but he delivers it with precision. Kelly Reilly is also a familiar face. She has been in countless movies and television shows, most notably, True Detectives which will be returning to the small screen in 2018. Another central character is Divis, portrayed by Nicolaj Lie Kaas. I recognize him from several other films as well. He is one of the anchors of this strangely written story.

Brittania seems to be part Game of Thrones and part Rome. I enjoyed both of those series immensely. The Rome series was far too short in my opinion. This series seems to be attempting to capitalize on the success of these genres, tilting a bit more towards GoT. I don't mind the fantasy elements, but they fall far short of the stories they are emulating. The film uses heavy doses of foul language sprinkled with sex and mild nudity (nothing like the gratuitous nudity of GoT) to add underscore a rather muddled story line. It's not a horrible story. The characters are interesting, the concept is intriguing, the dialogue isn't horrible, either. But the story is less than compelling.

Brittania isn't getting much love on IMDb. With a rating of 6.4, the nine episode series may not see a second season. That is a bit disappointing to me. This show had/has a lot of promise. The story could be more compelling, but the journey has been fun. It may contain some anachronisms, but I can ignore that based on the alternate reality aspects of the show. The performances are decent. The show reminds me of a third series, Vikings. Although Vikings played the story a bit more straight. I would give this series a recommendation, going a bit higher than IMDb. If you are in to this sort of story, you may find you enjoy it enough to watch. 7/10.