El primer rey

This film isn't as striking as Revenant or as thematically deep as Valhalla Rising, but it sure gets close.

I didn't choose to mention those two titles casually. Il Primo Re uses a similar range of storytelling devices: minimal dialogues, stunning visuals, a very realistic environment, metaphysical experiences. This provides the film a very immersive style, that can be perceived probably a bit slow, but that also elevates the release's quality.

The interesting part is that Il Primo Re reinterprets a well-known myth but stays faithful to its roots, and merges is with realistic historical settings. The villages, armaments, religions depicted mostly are very close to those that could've been during the pre-roman period.Obviously Il Primo Re mustn't be considered a historically accurate film, but it certainly gives the feel of that archaic period.

What I particularly appreciated was the choice of using latin as language. It is not the first time this happens, an example is Mel Gibson's The Passion, but in The Passion the pronunciation that was used was the scolastic one, which was developed in the middle ages (and I personally know that from my high-school studies of the language). In Il Primo Re they managed to use the original pronunciation of latin, and I believe probably they adopted an archaic vocabulary and sintax, which is admirable.

Criticisms can be drawn: the final climax is not that huge as the build up suggests (let's not forget italian films have a much more limited budget), it doesn't manage to be as thematically deep as the films I've mentioned earlier and sometimes it drastically shifts to being an action movie. I personally acknowledge these negatives, but still feel that the positive aspects outweight the negative ones. This film is so far unique in italian cinema, it definitely attempts at being something new, and therefore I think it deserves consideration

A splendid film, reminding a Latin text. Not for the use of language but for the admirable precise simplicity. A film about birth of Rome. The story is familiar, at the first sigh, from school years. In fact, a profound inspired history of Rome. Level by level, event by event. Because it is a film about brotherhood and murder, about "the others", about gods and atheism, about power, love, sacrifice, weakness in force , about relations and, sure, about the death as seed for a great project. A film who you feel. And it is enough.

With little expositional dialogue, this movie kept me guessing. I knew the myth of the founding of Rome, but this movie shows the brutal life of those living in the time. Very well framed and filmed.

As others have mentioned, the cinematography/photography is impressive. The dates are debatable but the basic legend is consistent. Acting was superb. Now the honesty. As much as I love foreign films and non-mainstream, this was dull for me. I do not expect hollywood action garbage and do not watch those films. It may also be a matter of timing. Maybe I watched it at a time when I needed something fast paced instead. Good movie though.

As italian, but most of all as moviegoer, I was waiting for a production like this in Italy for a long time. They strictly made their point, I was totally immersed in the movie's atmosphere made by natural light of photography. Matteo Rovere did a very great job with cinematography to make it as realistic as possible.