Becoming The Muse

Those About To Die 2024 Series Review

Those About To Die is an epic historical drama television series loosely adapted from a book of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. The show’s 10 episodes were released on Peacok on the 18^th of July and on Amazon Prime on the 19^th of July 2024.

Those about to die is a gladiator drama set in Rome, where an ailing Emperor Vespasian must choose between his two sons who his successor will be, meanwhile the empire faces threats from within and beyond and gladiator sports serve as an avenue to let off steam, thrill citizens and even earn a bit of blood money from betting…..

The Good

Take Game of Thrones set it in ancient Rome and what you have is Those About To Die, a show with political intrigue, backstabbing and power plays, it could have been easily dubbed Game Of Rome…

Similar to GOT the show shares the sentiment valar morghulis – all men must die…. Where all characters are treated as expendable and you are never sure if a character you like will survive… The show takes its title from a greeting made to the Emperor at the beginning of the gladiator games…

Hail Emperor, those about to die salute you!!!

The set is phenomenal and does a good job of recreating ancient Rome to capture its essence in the elaborate costumes and awe-inspiring architecture. The cinematography compliments the set and scenery lending an immersive atmosphere to the production, capturing the action and thrill of the gladiator games and chariot races.

Those About To Die is a multi-plot, multi-character production which never slows down as there’s always a subplot unfolding from succession drama to palace coups, while others race and fight for their lives, rising or dying the Roman way….

Anthony Hopkins delivers a commanding performance as Vespasian, an emperor at the end of his life simply trying to do best by his empire, while he in the grand scheme of things he is not one of the main characters he still plays a central role.

Then there is Tenax, the self-made self-styled emperor of the crime world running Rome’s biggest betting tavern and played by Game of Thrones Ramsay Bolton  actor Iwan Rheon…. Usually dressed in shades of grey as if in representation of the character’s moral ambiguity, not entirely a villain but not a good person either…

The show has its characters deal with a loads of internal conflict making them complex as they blur the lines between good, evil and doing what they must for the power, money or family….

The Bad

Sometimes the CGI doesnt work out well, resulting in some scenes having a video game aesthetic.

There is a lot going on… so many characters and storylines, the first episode will make your head spin trying to piece everything together, from the Patricians, to the Judeans, the Andalucians, the Numidians and how the factions factor into all this….

With so much going on some aspects of the series feel stretched thin, giving it a rather erratic pacing when you have fast-paced action sequences competing with the slower political machinations…  

The Ugly

The show does not shy away from blood and gore, it can get a bit graphic during the gladiator sequences.. When it’s not the violence that’s gratuitous, its the sexual content which seems to require periodic visits to brothels and solicitations with the oldest profession…

While the show takes liberties with its historical depiction… it does live one wondering just how Rome managed to be the epitome of civilisation… those people moved wild.

Final Thoughts

Those About To Die is an epic historic drama on ancient Rome with engaging characters embroiled in intricate political drama, races to the finish line and fights to the death…..

Watching the Olympics and if this was back in the day we would be cheering at gladiator games, sport has grown a lot less bloody, but the competitive spirit is still there..

~B