My wife and I just got back from seeing The Eagle and I really liked it! It seemed to be an accurate and gritty portrayal of second century (140AD) Roman’s in Britain. They didn’t do the “300” style crazy, over-the-top sword play. Instead, the Roman’s formed a phalanx and marched in step and used their shields and their gladius’. They also showed the life of the Roman soldier on the edge of the “known world” as a dirty life full of hard work and danger.
They also showed a lot of the less then great aspects of Roman life, like slavery, gladiatorial games, and the inherent brutality of an ever expanding empire. While the main character idealized Rome like he did his father (the commander of the “Lost Ninth”) the Rome they actually showed wasn’t nearly so ideal. Furthermore, they even treated the “barbarians” with a measure of respect you don’t typically see in these films. They spoke Gaelic (or so I’m guessing, I’m no expert) and their culture was shown in a fairly complex and respectful way, though I’m curious what it was based on. My understanding is that little of Pict or Celt culture is actually known today.
In any case, the fights were gritty and realistic, no CGI here. The story was also a human story - the main character, his slave, their mission, the context and land and people and history in which they operated and finally, what victory they were able to achieve is all within the human sphere. This is no tale of ten foot tall, invincible hero’s leaping from the back of mystical creatures. This is the story of a son desperate to redeem the name of his father and family, and of the slave who’s keeping an oath in the name of his own father, while serving the very people who cost him everything he valued.
Anyway, if anyone was on the fence about it, I say “Go see it!” It’s a good movie and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.