Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by
Those About to Die is a 2024 series directed by Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner. The film stars Giulia Nunnari, Gonçalo Almeida, and Victor von Schirach theater, released on July 18, 2024.
Time is a Circus Maximus It is an opinionated statement by William Shakespeare, an English poet and playwright in the 16th century. Some years back in the early noughties, there was ‘Gladiator’ before HBO signaled its serious intent of bringing sex, violence, and big bucks to TV audiences with the original series ‘Rome.’ Television has returned to classical antiquity, to the same source used fifteen years prior in ‘Gladiator. ’ In ‘Gladiator’ sequel of 2024.
The Peacock drama “Those About to Die” adapts from the novel “Those About to Die” written by Daniel P. Mannix, and it first came to print in 1958. As retold by screenwriter Robert Rodat of Saving Private Ryan, the TV version is a Grade B swashbuckling epic of the 2000 type, with an overarching plot that covers the lowlife and highlife of ancient Rome Peacock from July 19th, 2024, with all 10 episodes and internationally on Amazon Prime.
Tenax –the main character –is a smart and unscrupulous entrepreneur owning the largest and most lucrative betting tavern in Rome in 79 CE.
This is a very profitable business because the crowds are captivated by the spectacles organized at the Circus Maximus stadium, and they are inclined to gamble on the outcomes of those who risk their lives to compete in gladiator battles and chariot races. Tenax is an unscrupulous, narrowly focused individual who got rich and is always seeking some sort of advantage that will help him gain more profits. Oh yes, there he said there are several ‘’for Rome is in a period of some transition and although appearing as a period of peace Rome is at a political moment of change – after the rule of Emperor Vespasian portrayed by Anthony Hopkins and while Vespasian is busy working on the construction of the monumental Flavian Colosseum which will bear testimony to his reign he is busy making decisions about his successor”.
Vespasian has two ideal heirs: Titus (Tom Hughes), a strong-willed, kindly warrior, and Domitian (Jojo Macari), a sly political operator. The comparative choice between the two is straightforward: However, there is a current scarcity of grain due to shipping, which has led to unsteady riots in the capital. On the other side, in the Roman province of Northern Africa known today as Numidia, Aura (Kyshan Wilson) kills a legionnaire in order not to let her younger sister Jula (Alicia Ann Edogamhe) become raped. They are both then kidnapped to be sold in Rome as slaves or prostitutes.
To save them, their mother Cala (Sara Martins-Court) tricks their brother Kwame to take their place by getting chosen for gladiator combat. Even in business, this is possible for Kwame because he is a fierce warrior who has just proved this by catching a wild and elusive white lion. It is divided in time not only between these two narratives but for many others in Rome. Senator Marsus (Rupert Penry-Jones) and his wife Antonia (Gabriella Pession) are scheming to overthrow Vespasian, and Tenax is planning to become a major player in the Circus Maximus, by not only by changing a tradition but also by adding another race, the fifth.
To this end, he teams up with Rome’s celebrated chariot racer, Scorpus, embodied by Dimitri Leonidas, who is as much a womanizing drunk as he is narcissistic. Tenax also forms another clandestine relationship with Domitian, whom Tenax needs authorization from to achieve his goals and who is more than glad to go through the motions of this plan if it is done in his self-interest. Cementing that deal even firmer is Tenax acquiring three ferocious white Andalusian steeds from three Spanish brothers in Rome for their fortune and ending up staying in Rome as Tenax’s chief groom and faithful Gavros (David Wurawa).
Tenax’s machinations are cranked into motion at the start of Those About to Die due to fixing a race to gain control of the Blue Faction and get ownership shares of Rufus (Michael Maggi). The series does not let up regarding the continual repositioning of the characters in alliances and oppositions.
All of this drama occurs in a way that will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the politics of Westeros and the Game of Thrones in King’s Landing (or avid fans of HBO’s strongly-canceled Rome), albeit with an uneven sluggishness and predictability that lops off its tension at the head. Regarding the film’s execution, the directors Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner deliver brutal, steady action in Circus Maximus with chariots flipping, plunging on fire, and pillaging their occupants, battles in which gladiators can only try to survive across from an indestructible (and Mountain-like) Flamma (Martyn Ford).
While it is never dull, There are moments when it feels somewhat subpar compared to other shows of the same genre. However, its fight scenes and blood are not in short supply, while the CGI backgrounds, including the wild animals, are of dreadful quality and detract from the otherwise satisfactory period piece aesthetic. This is also true in the close-ups of Scorpus and the competitors in their chariots or in the rare scenes where the white lion breaks out of its cage and eats people nearest to it. Emmerich is capable of grand spectacles, and House of the Dragon is no stranger to the larger-than-life. Still, regarding visuals and storytelling, Rodat’s show is inferior to HBO’s House of the Dragon. When the latter has amped up its game in the second season, which just started, the comparisons only work to Emmerich’s show’s disadvantage.
However, there are a few things to like about Those About to Die, namely the performances of its two stars, Jaime Lannison, Rhéon and Spartacus’s wife, a former gladiator turned prostitute, Lucy Lawless Macari, who captures the cunning avarice of the show’s Rome rife population all fueled by their base desire for power, money, and sex while eager to kill for both pleasure and sport. By its midway point, the series’ interwoven narratives all turn on issues of trust and betrayal. While Rodat may more than occasionally shoot the genre’s shots with a neat dénouement in mind, he also finds surprising ways to kill characters off and expose a secret enough about Tenax that he might not be able to bury for long. Of them, the most urgent is a certain unknown malefactor who comes to Rome to harass a gambling tycoon and prevent him from climbing the social ladder.
Thus motivated by various protagonists’ desire for power and lust for living, ranging from Titus’ Judaean wife to Domitian’s servant mistress and those battling it out in the chariot race that defines Scorpus, Those About to Die never quite attains the greatness it seeks. Overall, however, the viewers who cannot get enough of old-school carnage and scheming would probably raise cheer for it.
Those About to Die 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
Those About to Die is Rated TV-MA by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA)
Violence & Gore: The series contains several scenes of violent gladiatorial battles, chariot races, topless female slaves, and other elements that would be considered R-rated in the United States. Many scenes are very close, depicting the injuries, bloodshed, and violence. For instance, while engaging in gladiatorial combat, one gets to see the main characters getting cut, speared, and having their heads chopped off. Several scenes show the ferocious beasts like lions brutalizing the characters. One shows a white lion escaping from the cage and attacking people close to it. The show contains scenes of torture and executions, which are executed to the extreme. Notably, some scenes bring out violence, such as rioting due to shortages in grain supply, and there are scenes depicting battles in the provinces where characters are killed in large numbers.
Sexual Content: The series includes explicit sex scenes, including scenes with depicted nudity and different forms of intercourse. Such scenes are lengthy and described more elaborately. Some characters are represented as prostitutes; there are several scenes connected with the use of sexual services of the characters. The series contains scenes of sexual assault and attempted rape. There are scenes where a character murders a legionnaire to protect her sister from being raped. Explicit sexual scenes are depicted in the show, and characters of both genders are depicted naked, as in being in the bath or for any other reason.
Language: They tend to use abusive language and often involve obscene words and different sorts of swear words. People indulge in obscene jokes and describe things in vulgar sexual terms.
Substance Use: There is the use of alcohol by the characters in the show, and this is done to the extreme most of the time. Alcohol consumption is illustrated in scenes that take place in taverns. However, there are rare invocations of and representations of drug usage.
‘Those About to Die’ perfectly reflects the atmosphere and spirit of ancient Rome with uncompromising violence, nudity, sexual scenes, and other elements that would be considered as mature in today’s terms. The series is meant for a mature audience due to the graphic and complicated themes it portrays. Parental discretion is highly recommended.
