Centurion
User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 61
  3. Negative: 4 out of 61

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  1. Forbichoff
    Aug 28, 2010
    3
    awful. just awful. neil marshall is showing he really has absolutely no talent left after dog soldiers and the descent, i shouldn't really have to mention doomsday... but this movie is filled with cgi blood, pretentious acting and dialogue, horrible editing, and some really stupid PC stuff that was unnecessary and weren't realistic in the realm of the story.

    garbage. avoid.
  2. KundK
    Aug 27, 2010
    6
    People expecting a sanitized, Gladiator-like epic, might be in for a nasty (or lovely) surprise. There is little honour in this survival story and even less glory. There are, however, many majestic and harsh landscapes and even more brutal, deservedly R-rated spear-to-the-mouth type slayings. In essence, this is â
  3. Hikaru
    Oct 17, 2010
    8
    Great movie all around. The actors did an amazing job of portraying their characters, as well as selling the story. If the characters don't get you, the fight scenes coupled together with the amazing landscape of the movie will.
  4. MrCreativename
    Nov 12, 2010
    10
    Loved it. The story played out well and the acting was great. Overall it was a very enjoyable movie and I see no major issues with it except for maybe a few cliches.
  5. Halfwelshman
    Dec 20, 2011
    6
    Centurion is a pretty decent action-packed historical thriller. The story may be merely diverting rather than compelling, but there's plenty to entertain throughout. The fight scenes are brutal and expertly handled, and I like the comparison made between Pict tactics and modern guerrilla warfare. The cast are all competent, but no-one gives a performance of any particular note, and the script is a little flat. When compared to other films of this type, Centurion is far better than King Arthur (which had few redeemable qualities at all) but it's not quite in the same league as Gladiator (lacking as it does Ridley Scott's visual pinache and well-developed characters). Neil Marshall continues to prove himself as a talent to watch. While there's nothing majorly wrong with Centurion, it doesn't have enough to make it stand out from other releases - perhaps Marshall needs to return to doing something more daring again, like Dog Soldiers and The Descent.… Expand
  6. Razv
    Nov 27, 2010
    6
    Interesting here and there, with a couple of good scenes and gory scenery, but i think that the characters aren't complex enough and the storyline gets very boring from time to time.
  7. JennetP
    Jan 14, 2011
    5
    This film inserts itself into a couple of historical gaps: first, what happened to the soldiers of the Ninth Legion; second, what were the Picts really like? "Centurion" comes up with much more sinister answers than historians venture, but, hey, it's a movie, right? Problem is, the film can't decide whether it wants to be a kind of anti-epic or a simple chase film. As one who steps out for popcorn when a film "cuts to the chase," I'm much more interested in the former, so I enjoyed those scenes in which the Romans betray the "civilizing" values they claimed to be taking to "the barbarians." Fight scenes, too, were pretty engaging, though I was a little surprised that the giant fireballs from "Troy" managed to roll all the way to the Scottish highlands. Moreover, I genuinely didn't see the ending coming, which was a treat. But the vast stretches of film in which pursuer followed pursued I found eye-rollingly dull, despite some novel characters and gorgeous scenery.… Collapse
  8. bradleybossard
    Nov 14, 2010
    8
    Enjoyed this movie for the action and the scenery, the highlands of northern England. While not quite as polished as Gladiator, it projects the same barbarity of medieval life and warfare. The villain could have been a big more vile and the hero more heroic, but for those looking for strong violence and epic landscapes, this film will not disappoint.
  9. raco2046
    Oct 4, 2010
    7
    This is an interesting flick due to the 2 leads, the force and brutality of its pace and the magnificent landscapes. Yes, it may recall Mad Max lost in Inverness, at times but it does get across with a sublime color palette by the photographer and a very savy delivery by the scarce dialogue and vast imagery. Dominic West and Michel Fassbender are on the dot, also exBond Girl, Kurylenko. Get off it, the Centurion theme is overdone, but it can be revisited.… Expand
  10. straty73
    Nov 13, 2010
    8
    For all of you folks who like those historical movies Centurion is quite a good deal. The plot is not far so good as it was in Gladiator. It is more an action film but accurately it shows some nice roman tactics, for example the marching order, the way how the the legionaries form up their defence, etc.
    Nice landscape, good fighting scenes, good actors.
    Don´t miss it in your c    ollection. Quality of the Blu Ray was nice. Sound, too.… Expand
  11. Nazgulero
    Jul 21, 2011
    0
    Godawful. The number one rule is: don't make a time piece if you don't have the budget for one. The worst is to make a film that looks cheap. Everything in this movie looks cheap: the fortress, the effects, everything. Combine that with a bad script, and you have a crap movie. The guy running around in the snow in the beginning was clearly wearing something that looked like Dockers pants, I am pretty sure they did not have those around in the second century. In addition, it should be clear by now that a British accent ruins every movie. It sounds retarded, cannot explain why.… Expand
  12. blackpudding
    Jan 6, 2011
    10
    So so. The script doesn't develop the characters beyond archetypes and it's all a bit flat by the end. Just to point out to bradleybossard, without seeming pedantic hopefully, the action of the film doesn't take place in the 'highlands of northern England', but, of course, the highlands of northern Scotland.
  13. avatar16
    May 18, 2012
    2
    Il faudrait informer le réalisateur de The Descent que ce n'est pas en lorgnant sur la partie germanique de Gladiator qu'on en tire un péplum de qualité. Résultat : Centurion est loupé, car étant l'exact contraire du film de Ridley Scott. Les défauts que n'a pas ce dernier, Centurion les a! A savoir des dialogues sans classe (plats et même vulgaires), un casting peu imposant, un scénario déjà inexistant qui prouve son inutilité (faits historiques restés sur le papier), mise en scène bien trop plate... Bref, le film ne se contente que de son côté barbare, et là encore le bât blesse, le film étant excessivement gore (gerbes de sang qui jaillissent à foison comme dans un jeu vidéo) et "graphique" (certaines couleurs comme le blanc agressent les yeux). Bref, Centurion est un film qui n'arrive même pas à la cheville de Troie et qui se range du côté d'Outlander ou Pathfinder sans même les égaler. Affligeant!… Expand
  14. worleyjamers
    Dec 8, 2012
    5
    An okay film that I did like, but it was a bit too predictable and gory. Fassbender is good as always. I would have preferred more action over gore; gore is fine, but the battle sequences were hardly battle scenes at all, just blood. I loved the tone and setting of the film. Reminded me a lot of The Eagle which I also liked.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    Marshall, who helmed the underrated horror film, "The Descent," has a flair for the visual. Some of the mountainscapes, captured by use of a helicopter, are nothing short of spectacular.
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  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    40
    Marshall shows off the breathtaking landscape, but with interiors, he populates the ale houses and encampments with cliches - like dueling female warriors, one a mute and the other a white-haired vixen.
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  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    50
    Even if the movie had more shadings, though, Marshall's political point would undo his he-man action-flick format. If you're looking for a rallying cry to make the emotions sizzle, "Quagmire!" isn't it.
    Read full review
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