Another Review

The Eagle
Rated PG-13 for battle sequences and some disturbing images.

Maybe this isn't a fair review. After all, I did miss the first five minutes of it. Plus, this is my first "sword and sandal flick", so I don't really have anything to fall back on.

For me, it was a good movie. Just not quite good enough.

They seemed to be trying too hard to film it in a "unique" way that would make it stand out.
The camera would focus on a tree trunk, and then on another tree trunk, before it finally showed our heroes braving the wilderness.
And Marcus continued having flashbacks  showing him as a blonde, blue-eyed child that couldn't possibly grow up into a dark-haired, dark-eyed Channing Tatum.
But at least the filmmakers got the story across.

The acting wasn't excatly top-notch, but it wasn't horrendous either (except where Donald Sutherland's concerned). The actors really shone, however, when they were yelling or having some sort of internal conflict.
It was kind of hard to feel for the characters because they didn't have much depth. Of the entire cast, Esca was the easiest to feel for and relate to.

There was this scene that seemed to have no point but to show how weird ancient British ceremonies were. Also, the battles scenes weren't as edge-of-your-seat as I had hoped.
And there was a sort of corny "go on without me" scene that left Marcus hugging the eagle to his chest like a teddy bear.

That aside, there were quite a few things that made this movie worth it:
I really enjoyed the scenes where Esca was in the arena, and also his discussion with Marcus around the campfire.
The final battle could have been more, but that's okay. Though I did enjoy seeing Guern's small army of Britains dressed in Roman uniforms.
And when they returned the eagle, I was actually cheering them on. That scene alone left me leaving the theater in a good mood. Not to mention, the set and costumes were very historically accurate.

All things considered, I wouldn't mind seeing it again. And strangley enough, I enjoyed it far more than the latest Potter installment.
And that's saying something.

Verdict: Wait until the DVD comes out.
Grey Travel Rating: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Acting: 3/5
Objectionable Content: Some Britains are hardly dressed. Naked corpses hang from trees but nothing is shown. The chief mentions that the Romans have defiled thier daughters. One use of the P-word, A-word and D-word.