The About to Die starts on Prime Video - Everything about Roland Emmerich's Gladiator series
On July 19, Amazon's streaming service Prime Video will launch the historical series "Those About to Die". Roland Emmerich (68), director of "Independence Day", takes viewers back almost four months before the anticipated action and historical film "Gladiator II" by Ridley Scott (86). This series transports audiences to ancient Rome and showcases the bloody gladiatorial contests and chariot races. Is it worth streaming?
What's it About in "Those About to Die"
In the year 79 AD, the aging and crippled Emperor Vespasian (Sir Anthony Hopkins, 86) tries to secure his succession. He has two sons, both eager to claim his throne. Vespasian favors the battle-hardened Titus (Tom Hughes, 39), but Domitian (Jojo Macari, 27) also aspires to power.
Meanwhile, the simple Roman citizen Tenax (Iwan Rheon, 39) runs a lucrative gambling business at the breathtaking chariot races in the Circus Maximus. With his ruthless tactics, Tenax uses his friendship with the record champion Scorpus (Dimitri Leonidas, 36), who seems invincible on the race track. The frequent and often bloody gladiatorial contests and chariot races serve as a distraction and entertainment for the restless and discontented Roman population, keeping them appeased with bread and games and preventing revolt.
Impressive Character Ensemble
Besides the aforementioned, the character roster of "Those About to Die" is far from exhausted. Over a dozen significant characters populate the numerous storylines of the new historical series. Besides Oscar winner Hopkins as the emperor and the former "Game of Thrones" villain Rheon as the gangster boss, viewers will encounter the story of a North African family kidnapped and taken to Rome as slaves.
While the good fighter and lion hunter Kwame (Moe Hashim) is trained to become a gladiator, his sisters Aura (Kyshan Wilson) and Jula (Alicia Ann Edogamhe, 17) end up as slaves in Roman households. Mother Cala (Sara Martins-Court) follows her children to Rome in the hope of freeing them.
Additionally, the stories of a Jewish princess and Spanish horse breeders are told. However, many of these diverse characters remain rather flat and are mostly only thinly characterized.
Most disappointing for viewers eagerly anticipating another legendary performance from Sir Anthony Hopkins may be the underutilization of the legendary mime. In every episode, he appears for one or two brief scenes, delivers a few lines of dialogue, and then disappears again. This is particularly unfortunate as the storyline surrounding the succession of Rome's empire fails to fully engage due to this reason.
Overwhelming Action and High Production Values
Action enthusiasts will surely find a lot to enjoy in "Those About to Die". The spectacular chariot races and extremely brutal gladiatorial contests are truly captivating and keep the pulse of the viewers reliably racing.
German cinema legend Roland Emmerich directed half of the episodes of "Those About to Die". Marco Kreuzpaintner ("Bodies", 47) took over the direction of the remaining five episodes. The series is loosely based on the 1958 book "Those About To Die" by Daniel P. Mannix (1911-1997), which is also said to have inspired "Gladiator". The series creator is the American Robert Rodat, who was nominated for an Oscar for the script of the Spielberg classic "Saving Private Ryan".
All ten episodes of "Those About to Die" are available at once on Amazon Prime Video.
The historical series "Those About to Die" is set to debut on Amazon's streaming service Prime Video on July 19. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the series takes viewers back to ancient Rome, four months before the anticipated release of Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II." Iwan Rheon, known for his role as Ramsay Bolton in "Game of Thrones," plays a significant character in the series. Sir Anthony Hopkins, in his role as the aging and crippled Emperor Vespasian, tries to secure his succession in the series. "Those About to Die" is available for streaming on Prime Video, and viewers can watch all ten episodes at once.
