Those About to Die Review: A Show of Mixed Feelings

Those About to Die is an epic sword-and-sandal TV series based on Daniel P. Mannix’s Those About to Die. The series was developed by Robert Rodat and directed by Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner, with 10 episodes of a runtime of around 60 minutes each.

Those About to Die is an epic that showcases a thrilling yet heartbreaking side to the entertainment business in Rome, an empire stained by moral corruption, and how those in the business were forced to give the masses what they desired the most – blood and sport.

The thing about historic epics is that they all start to feel a bit similar after a while and Those About to Die is an unrelenting 10-episode drama/thriller ride whose moral corruption and showcase of violence is so tiring after a point that you start to zone out at times. It showcases the background of the Roman Empire and, in particular, the gladiator competitions that haven’t been told before. However, the series is quite slow in spite of being an action series.

First and foremost, I liked the worldbuilding in the series – it’s believable and done well and, apart from some clanky CGI moments (especially with the horse races), the series looks and feels great. The sets are believable and the costumes look excellent. The sheer number of background actors truly give it an epic look and feel. All in all, the vastness of the world is striking and effectively brought to life.

Apart from that, Those About to Die is sufficiently gory and the useless waste of human beings will lead anyone to feel some sort of disgust after a point of time. The gladiator fights are the most gruesome and the creators paint a vivid picture of how cutthroat the situation is. There’s a ton of blood and guts everywhere, apart from other forms of injustice, that will drive viewers to feel sympathy and empathy all at the same time. You root for some characters, although there aren’t a lot of good ones, while others leave an impact on you. For example, Tenax may not be the best guy in the club but he’s quite impactful and interesting.

The story follows Cala’s quest to unite her children after the Romans take them away as slaves. She is the only character who has some morality going for her and leaves us rooting for her to get to her goal. Her quest, as someone who is far removed from the atrocities of the city, is thoroughly engaging and Sara Martins-Court embodies her role in in a way that reels you in.

Moving on, the series follows the stories of several characters as most go through tumultuous times full of danger while the upper echelons of society vie for the throne from Anthony Hopkins’s Vespasian. Apart from that, we see Iwan Rheon’s Tenax trying his best to consolidate power as he takes care of the tournaments and their participants with an iron fist, the story of a family of four where the two daughters get sold and the son is sent to fight. All of these story points take place simultaneously, with a ton of long sequences of conversations about the most mundane things. There is not a lot of plotting and scheming but the long durations of conversations make you forget about the action and drag the runtime like no other.

Those About to Die is engaging in parts, especially during the showers of blood and guts but at other times it slows down to such a degree that you are left rather disillusioned. There are also some side stories that will leave viewers annoyed because they seem a bit unnecessary and “extra” and pad the runtime rather than adding anything to the story. You won’t care about the characters and consequently, neither their stories and thus, their involvement in increasing the runtime will only make you want to skip through.

Those About to Die Review: Final Thoughts

This series based on the shocking underbelly of the Roman empire has its moments of thrill and anticipation but leaves us feeling a bit all over the place. Some characters and their moments are genuinely full of emotions and shock while others are so slow that they drag the runtime out thoroughly. In the end, the twists and turns do work, but it’s the inconsistency that makes you feel a bit confused at the end of it all.

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