The Eagle

Just watched The Eagle last night on DVD for the first time.  Thought I would post my thoughts about it.  For one, I'm astonished that they were able to actually able to get this produced.  Historical epics are known for the major ability to underwhelm at the Box Office.  It was able to pull in 19.4 million, which isn't horrible, but probably had higher expectations.

As for the movie, well, I enjoyed the fact that it had Romans and Celts battling it out.  Later on in the movie it had a group of tribesmen that I can only assume were supposed to be Picts (a fairly unknown group of northern Britons).  The battles were pretty good, and I liked getting to see the Roman testudo formation (the "Tortoise").  And sure enough, the fort they showed can be yours in 1/32 scale by visiting our friends at TSSD.  So yes, the battles were cool, the equipment was cool, and the overall grittiness of the movie was appreciated.

Could the story have been better?  Yeah.  Could the actors have been a bit less "American"?  Yeah.  But if you're looking for a sword and sandals adventure, it'll get you through an evening.