Spoiler alert! Going into “Pompeii” you expect this cheesy romantic Hollywood story where the hero some how gets the girl and gets away just in the nick of time. That is not the case however with “Pompeii”.  The movie’s title that tells the ending before you even see it. The film however is not about the ending its about the journey.

The film began in tragedy and ended in it, with the main characters journey beginning with his family being killed in front of his eyes. The ending is one of the most predictable endings of any film if you know your history.  Growing up in the arena killing all those pitted against him the main character earned the nickname the Celt and for the first half of the film is only referred to as such.

Comic relief played a major role in the film with each character having a moment to have something funny to say or do throughout the film. The film had some of the best combat sequences in a film to date, nothing completely unbelievable but still well choreographed.

The acting overall was well done as every actor performed with great skill. They seemed to melt into their characters and become them all together. Some of the best lines in the film were spread throughout all the characters in the film. The best line actually went to a supporting role near the end of the film.

What made this film was the top-notch 3D. It was very subtle nothing really in your face but absolutely fantastic. The ash would float out over the crowd and move across the scene giving the feeling of impending doom. When the ash wasn’t falling the 3D projected pieces of the set out onto the crowd giving the illusion of actually being in “Pompeii.”

The Scale of the film was fantastic. In order to truly show the tragedy of the eruption the camera work focused on the large crowds in the markets of Pompeii and all the people living their everyday lives in the doomed city.  The overhead views of the city brought in the actual scale of it and how much damage the erupting volcano would actually do.

No film is complete however with out an amazing musical score to go along with it. Clinton Shorter the composer for the soundtrack creates a perfect sound to the film The soundtrack melded perfectly with the film setting the over all tone of each scene. Not many soundtracks can match “Pompeii’s”.

In the end the film is an absolute must see. With a PG-13 rating it would be perfect way to spend an afternoon with friends. Not many films can take a tragedy and turn it into an epic story. If this film is any indication of the upcoming films this spring and summer, audiences are in for a great time.