‘Game of Thrones’ Meets ‘Gladiator’ in Forgotten Epic Pompeii as It Leaves Streaming

Television stars trying their hand at blockbusters and not having the best time of it is nothing new. Kit Harington is one of them, and when he became one of the biggest names on television thanks to Game of Thrones, an offer to lead his own movie came in, surrounded by a terrific cast of thespians. It was a movie that borrowed a little from Gladiator, threw in a doomed romance straight out of Titanic and was all "based on a true story." But unlike the climax of the movie, it didn't set anything on fire.

That movie is Pompeii, the 2014 historical disaster thriller directed by Paul W. S. Anderson (Resident Evil), which is officially leaving Netflix in the United States. The movie earned approximately $117 million worldwide during its original theatrical run, bringing the destruction of the ancient Roman city to the big screen with a combination of gladiatorial combat, romance and some fairly spectacular volcanic destruction.

Set in 79 A.D., Pompeii tells the epic story of Milo, a slave turned gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, Cassia, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.

The cast is led by Harington (Game of Thrones) as Milo, alongside Emily Browning (Sucker Punch) as Cassia, Kiefer Sutherland (24) as Senator Corvus, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost) as Atticus, Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) as Aurelia, Jared Harris (Chernobyl) as Severus, and Jessica Lucas (Gotham) as Ariadne.

How Good Is 'Pompeii'?

Pompeii wasn't particularly popular with critics, earning just 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. Much of the criticism focused on its familiar story and dialogue, although the action sequences and visual effects received a warmer response. The movie's $117 million worldwide box office wasn't enough to make it a major hit, particularly against a reported production budget of around $100 million. It's still a good laugh though. Yeah, it never really hits the high points of something like Gladiator but everyone knows that Pompeii is going to be destroyed and you're sitting there waiting for it to blow. And it delivers.

Pompeii is leaving Netflix in the United States.