This is not a terribly shitty movie. It's written and directed by the same guy who did The Descent, the underrated Dog Soldiers, and the "Blackwater" episode of Game of Thrones. He, Neil Marshall, is also doing the upcoming Last Voyage of the Demeter, a modern take on Dracula. Technically, I suppose all of his films could be counted as horror considering that he starts with X amount of people and ends with X-90% but I probably wouldn't classify Centurion in that genre. I can't really pick apart anything terribly wrong with the film, other than a sneaking suspicion that Marshall blew the entire budget on the 3D graphics for the opening credits. Also, CGI blood. That is never a good sign, in my opinion. It means you couldn't hire a decent practical effects guy.
Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) is a Roman centurion captured by the Picts. He is rescued by the 9th Legion, led by General Virilus (Dominic West), kind of by accident. Virilus and his men are out trying to kill the leader of the Picts, Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen), and hopefully stamp out this pesky insurrection once and for all. To help them track him down, they have Etain (Olga Kurylenko), a mute Brigantii woman who wields a mean pike. Quintus actually speaks Pict, so instead of sending him back to friendly territory, they drag him along.
In a move that surprises no one, Etain sells them all out and the 9th Legion is massacred. The survivors, led by Quintus, flee to the north in an effort to double back around. Their numbers continue to dwindle as the pursuing Picts harass them. With some help from a friendly witch (Imogen Poots), Quintus and the two remaining legionnaires (David Morrissey and Liam Cunningham) make their last stand at an abandoned outpost.
It's a paint-by-numbers kind of film, but at least it makes a pretty picture.
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