Top 5 Movies About Ancient Rome

For decades now, viewers have been keen to witness and relive the glory of ancient Rome and see the might of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire on the small and big screen alike. This Roman backdrop has been the go-to for historical movies and sword and sandal films since the start of cinemas which has resulted in a massive number of excellent historical movies being created over the decades. But going through this minefield of ancient Roman films to find one that is worthy of your time is a difficult and time-consuming task which is why I have created this list of the top 5 films about ancient Rome so you can spend more time watching and less time actually searching for a film to watch. At number 5 we have Imperium Augustus which is my favourite film of the Imperium series and depicts Augustus' life in a first-person narrative from Caesar's assassination to his eventual last days on the throne as Rome's first emperor. This film is an extraordinary watch and it really does a fantastic job of bringing Augustus' unique story to life as he is arguably Rome's greatest emperor but he seems to be regularly overlooked for TV shows and movies for more popular figures such as Caesar or Caligula. Peter O'Toole is amazing here as an aging and weary Augustus and his amazing narration and acting keeps the film intriguing from beginning to end. This is not a large budget film which means that the movie has to keep the viewer engaged simply with strong storytelling, amazing acting, and unexpected plot twists in which this film does fantastically. This film is not easily accessible for anyone that isn't overly familiar with Roman history though as characters are introduced, killed off, or even just mentioned in passing who are major characters in Roman history but are not so well known to the common person. But if you do consider yourself a true fan of Roman history and society then Imperium Augustus is my recommendation for you as well as the entire Imperium series in general. At number 4 it is The Fall of the Roman Empire, the classic 1964 sword and sandal film which looked at the corruption and politics present within the Roman Empire during the reign of Commodus and how these events started the decline of the Roman Empire and the downfall of all its glory. Although this film was a huge box office bomb it still garnered positive feedback from critics as the plot and story for the movie was great but it just got released at a time when the market was oversaturated with sword and sandal films. This film highlights what makes the classic era of historical films so enduring even to this day as this movie relies solely on amazing acting by the entire cast and a strong plot to carry the movie forward as there is no CGI or over-the-top action in this film to distract viewers from weaker elements of the movie. There are a few shortcomings in the film in terms of pacing and character motivations but nearly 40 years later there is a reason that The Fall of the Roman Empire is still remembered as one of the best historical films ever and you owe it to yourself to find out why that is. At number 3 we have Agora, a historical drama which follows the life of Hypatia, an Alexandrian mathematician, philosopher and astronomer from her childhood to her eventual death. This film's key focus is on the relationship between religion and science as the polytheistic religions of Alexandria continually clash with the beliefs of the growing Christian religion and the influences of Rome as well. This film does a fantastic job of highlighting how difficult it was to advance science and astronomy of the time due to religious constraints and the growing influence of external forces such as Rome. Rachel Wise really shines in her role as Hypatia and does a fantastic job of bringing her character to life while all the supporting cast do a fantastic job of further filling out the world. The plot is also amazing with lots of unexpected twists and turns making this a great film to watch from beginning to end. There are a few stumbling points here as the pacing does not always flow properly and the political situation of the time could have been expanded upon a bit more but if you're looking for a great film that shows a mix of Roman, Christian and scientific influences on ancient Alexandrian culture then Agora is my recommendation for you. The second spot on this list goes to the award-winning 1960s classic film Spartacus which depicts the life of Spartacus from a lowly slave and gladiator to one of Rome's most feared enemies. This film has some of the best acting, battle scenes and storytelling that I have ever witnessed in a historical film and its masterful storytelling and character development is done in such an efficient manner that historical films to this day cannot still bring the same level of realism to our screens even with their inflated budgets and advanced technologies. All the cast in this film are excellent with many of them winning awards for their performances such as Kirk Douglas and Peter Ustinov. It also withstands the test of time as this film is still used as a blueprint on how to depict large battle scenes and political maneuverings of a complex entity like the Roman Republic effectively on the big screen. There are some minor issues in pacing and character motivations but these issues are minute and do not really deter the viewer from being engrossed in the film. So if you're looking for a classic film which depicts the life of Spartacus in a simple but effective manner then the 1960s Spartacus is my recommendation for you. The top spot on this list goes to Gladiator, a movie which single-handedly revitalized critic and audience's interest in sword and sandal films and historical movies in general. This film stars Russell Crowe as the primary character of the film in which he has fallen from one of Rome's most respected generals to a lowly gladiator slave all due to the political mechanisms of Emperor Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix. This film has amazing acting by all primary and secondary actors, a fascinating and engaging storyline and some fantastic battle scenes and gladiatorial fights as well. There are a few issues with the film which cannot be overlooked such as the movie is very historically inaccurate even by Hollywood standards and the film overemphasizes action and fight sequences at the sacrifice of realism. However if you are looking for a film which will make you feel like you have been transported back to ancient Rome and a movie which makes effective use of this historical backdrop then Gladiator is my top recommendation for you. So lastly I just wanted to say thank you for watching this video, if you found it to be helpful or informative please do share and like and also do subscribe to this channel as I do post videos regularly on historical tv shows and movies on a regular basis. Thank you so much for watching, bye!