Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

HeadlinesExotic Boring

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

ravinarchive Why is the African Queen from the African Nation of Ancient Egypt Caucasian? There is several complaints about fictional characters who were traditionally casted as White males being played by "potentially" played by Black actors so why are you casting White Women in the role of historically black figures? Netflix is supposedly on the empowerment of Black film train but when it comes to showing their true historical factual selves they are being white-washed out? America needs to see the truth depicted in a series like this otherwise when are you going to show the Caesar portrayed by a actor of African decent? I guarantee that there would be a tremendous outcry had the majority of the cast been opposite of the race that these characters were historically. It's almost as it has been a coordinated effort to disguise and misrepresent the factual identities of historical figures of African decent.

wscurran It is generally entertaining, but the depictions and descriptions of the battlers are not accurate and miss some of the pivotal details. But worse is the depictions of Roman fighting style - Roman infantry fought in tight formations and stabbed with the Gladius! They really needed a military historian on this show. Instead you see Roman infantry hacking and slashing like some Hollywood depiction of ancient warfare - groan.

jeffhemley-08696 After I researched the actual history I was agitated to be so mislead by this terrible "history" lesson. I understand movies and TV shows changing things for dramatic effect but this is presented with narration from historians, as if it is depicting something close to the actual events. To give one example of glaring inaccuracies, this series has Commodus killing gladiators in the arena. He never did any such thing. He did kill some of his practice slaves in training but he never killed a gladiator in the arena. His arena matches were mere exhibitions with predetermined outcomes. The real gladiators would lose on purpose and then ask for mercy and Commodus always granted it. Also, this series presents him as a grown man in at least his mid twenties when we went to to war with his father but he actually just a young boy. He was only 15 years old when named emperor along with his father and when his father died three years later he became sole emperor. There is almost nothing in this series at all that is fully accurate. So, if you like fiction portrayed in documentary style you may like this. If not, trust me, don't waste your time. I do give it two stars because the actors did work hard and deserve some credit. The acting was fairly good.

sherryberry-02830 Boring I thought this was going to be a drama and it turns out to be more of a documentary. I could do without the talking heads breaking in all the time. Also better acting would have helped.