Rent Apocalypse Pompeii (2014)

Apocalypse Pompeii review by Adrijan Arsovski - Cinema Paradiso

Apocalypse Pompeii is one of those “leech-er” films that try to cash-in on a potential future blockbuster, by tricking audiences into thinking they’re seeing the latter – where in reality they’re not. I can see how this trick might work for DVD and/or sales of physical copies of a film, but I just cannot see it working for theater audiences because let’s be real: the modern film-goer has a keen eye for detail and is able to spot fakes no matter how hard these fakes try. And so, Apocalypse Pompeii was only made (see: named) because of the then upcoming film ‘Pompeii’ (which, to make matters worse, wasn’t that much of a great film either). Or to sum it up: oh boy.

With all of that being said though, Apocalypse Pompeii has all the reasons for being good to finally silence The Asylum (the production company behind these “masterpieces”) contrarians once and for all. Does it do it? Absolutely not. Apocalypse Pompeii is, sadly and predictably, yet another dud made to confuse audiences, destroy expectations, steal your money, and leave you with nothing but a well-designed poster for its upcoming film. Yes, it’s that bad.

The film is directed by Ben Demaree, and follows a group of people who, for some reason or another, find themselves in near approximation of the Mount Vesuvius. In fact, those people are comprised of an American family which moves to Italy, including the dad Jeff (played by Adrian Paul), his wife Lynne (Jhey Castles), and their daughter Mykaela (Georgina Beedle). However, while Jeff is attending some sorts of a meeting (?), Mount Vesuvius unleashes all heal and erupts in a cloud of smoke and ash which covers the skies of Italy. Now, both the natives and tourists are trapped in and around the historical site of Pompeii and have to figure a way to stay alive at all costs (duh).

The narrative in Apocalypse Pompeii is very predictable to the point of being unpredictable – it’s like a paradox of story that makes you want to watch this offering just to see how it’ll all turn out at the end. The acting is very subpar, laughable at moments, and downright ridiculous at others. There are no twists, turns, or surprises in the story, so it’s like you’re basically watching a water drop from a facet at exact intervals in times; only this time, substitute the water with fire and ash (at least that’s what the director likes us to think it’s the film’s antagonist), and you’ve summarized Apocalypse Pompeii perfectly.

Does this film have any redeeming factors? Yes. You know, the ol’ “it’s so bad it’s good” thing; if you’re into that, go ahead and indulge into Apocalypse Pompeii without second thoughts. If not, well…