Quo Vadis

Another one checked off the list of "films to see before you die." And yes, we’re talking 1951 here, but you’d be surprised how timeless some of it feels. Of course, there are moments where you can clearly tell it’s a product of its time, but it's three hours of pure epicness. Back then, Hollywood didn’t just think it could do anything—it really could do anything. Where we use digital effects now, they had massive, breathtaking crowd scenes that make you hold your breath. The source material is brilliant, so it was bound to succeed. Grand, awe-inspiring, and only as dated as you allow it to be. An absolute cinematic experience. (10/21/2024)

A worthy adaptation of an excellent book, whose motivational and psychological scope the creators manage to portray with only few major changes. Though the film is far from perfect in this sense, and logically pushes the line of the Emperor’s persecution of the Christians, which leads to the climax in the arena, the romantic line and the rebirth of Vinitius’s personality, which were key in the novel, feel unconvincing. The ending lacks the desired emotional depth, but on the other hand, it successfully concludes the magnificent reconstruction of the Roman period that everyone associates with the cruel, matricidal and arsonist Nero. One of the most visually epic films of its era, though it suffers from simplification and the occasional kitsch. 75% (01/21/2019)