User reviews

Anyone who gets a film made should be commended, this, unfortunately, is where the compliments end.

The main fault in the film lies in the script. There is no narrative, the writer/director has essentially cobbled together a bunch of scenes in the hope that they will connect with each other with no real threat or drive for the characters. It is understandable why actors such as the late Peter O'Toole and Edward Fox would be attracted to such a piece, if they were given free reign they'd be munching at the scenery like a rabbit on a lettuce leaf. Yet, they're not. These actors are restrained and make for a dull viewing experience. Seeing actors of this calibre being given the opportunity letting rip is always a pleasure, the fact that they are not is a wasted opportunity.

Nicole Keniheart may look the part, but as a unifying presence for the whole story, she fails. There is nothing of interest to her, and the fate that falls on her doesn't have the emotional wallop that the Director was hoping for as we simply don't care for her. She has no character and as such we never truly connect with her. More could have been made of Katherine's affect on Rome and how she changed the lives of others as such it just feels as if her "followers" blindly accept that she is the second coming and go along with her.

On the whole the film is flat and the greatest crime of all: dull. Ridley Scott's latest film "Exodus" suffered from a similar problem, yet at least it had spectacle. Granted this is on a lower budget, but there was potential to do so much with the material but fails miserably. We don't care for the characters, we aren't drawn into the story and the script is risible. There is a great story to be told about this woman and the last days of the Roman Empire, but this is not that film.

On the plus side, it's in focus.

I have only given it 2 as Edward Fox is as splendid as always. The story jumps all over the place, it is historical nonesense and utterly confusing. Some of the acting is worse than dire and the direction is appalling. Peter o'toole is sadly wasted but even with a better script this would have been a film too many for him.

I can understand why this film was not given wider publicity - it is rubbish and you will be wasting your time watching it.

"Decline of an Empire" (also known as "Katherine of Alexandria") marks the final film for Peter O'Toole. Because of this, I was very anxious to see this film. Now, in hindsight I really regret this. Instead of a last chance to see this wonderful actor, I now remember this as a truly dull and awful film--and O'Toole's legacy deserved better than this. Thankfully, his great films will always overshadow films like "Decline of an Empire". The sooner we forget about it and go on, the better.

The story is about a martyred saint, Katherine of Alexandria, a woman who might have lived during the fourth century. I say might because there seems to be little evidence that she actually existed and her life and martyrdom are based on traditions rather than concrete facts. These traditions, interestingly, began about 500 years after her supposed death--further adding weight to the notion that she is a myth. Still, it could make for a very interesting story--especially as it's set during the waning days of the old Roman Empire. Soon, Christianity would become accepted and no longer persecuted--and this is an incredibly interesting period of change and upheaval. As a retired history teacher and film lover, I wanted to love this film and the plot seemed like it was right up my alley. So why did the film go so wrong?

Like too many recent 'epics', the film was obviously made on a micro- budget. This could work in some cases, but seeing scenes where a dozen or so men constitute a major Roman battle is laughable. This can also be said of scenes involving cities like Rome and Alexandria--places consisting of a tiny handful of actors instead of thriving metropolises. There is nothing epic about this...it's just sad and cheap. The dialog is also ponderous beyond belief. So much of it seemed to make little sense and my attention span waned throughout the movie. Much of it just boggled my mind at how dull and silly it sounded coming out of real live people. Additionally, it sure sounded as if many of the characters in the film were performed by actors who didn't understand English and were merely delivering their lines phonetically. Too often, bizarre accents and odd annunciations derailed important scenes and left the viewer confused and bored. This combined with the dull dialog mentioned above really made the film difficult to enjoy.

The film also kept referring to Egyptians as 'Arabs'. Egyptians might speak a variation on Arabic today, but in the 4th century, when this film is set, the Egyptians had not yet been conquered by the Arabs (which happened several hundred years later) and ethnically they were North Africans. No ancient Roman would have called Egyptians Arabs. I know that this is the history teacher in me talking once again--but this and other historical inaccuracies guarantee that even history teachers won't like this dull film.

I could probably go on a bit more why I hated this film. Suffice to say it had little of O'Toole or the other fine older actors Edward Fox and Joss Acklund--so there's little for their fans in this movie. Their presence was very limited and they often seemed a bit lost in the film. And, even for nostalgia value, it wasn't even enjoyable. A sadly awful film. And, incidentally, as I watched it, my older daughter kept begging me to turn it off...and she, like me, usually loves things about the ancient world. I am sorry for putting you through this, Sarah.

We now know who killed Peter O'Toole. It was Michael Redwood. Assault with a dead film. Inept at best, ham handed writing, lines delivered as if actors were zombies, and Mr. Redwood's claim to fame: music, so over the top as to give the listener instant diabetes. Plan 9 from Outer Space is better than this. Many cite Kineheart as the sole standout in this cast. They are wrong. Vacuous....maybe this is a zombie picture. Maybe Redwood is ahead of his time...Zombies From Rome...dunno. All I know is that I want my money back so I can buy a lobotomy and excise this dreck from my brain. I laugh at those in regard to this film who warn away the end spoilers...the end of this film is a blessing. It's only spoiled in its playing.

As a huge fan of historical dramas, both book and movie, I was so looking forward to this movie. I've never written a review on here before but my disappointment with this movie was so intense that I felt it needed airing. This was perhaps the worst acting I have ever seen in my life (55 yrs). The drugged stares into space, the stilted line delivery, the over dramatic acting by lesser actors in bit parts, the choppy scene transitions. The whole thing was tragically sad and I finally, after multiple attempts, shelved it, never to be finished.

It's a great story I would love to see it done properly and given it's due diligence. This just wasn't it.

I am a fan of historical fact based drama films. Coming across Katherine of Alexandria and discovering Edward Fox and Peter O'Toole were amongst it's the cast, I was very eager to watch it.

I wasted 108 minutes of my life! Poor (at best) acting and directing, "history" rewritten by the film studio and a general wondering if the whole movie was shot using cheap camcorders.

On the plus side, now I have seen it maybe I am able to steer others away from it. Then maybe my 108 minutes would not seem so futile.

1/10 because IMDb won't let me rate at 0. I will have to watch Lawrence of Arabia now to remind me how great Peter O'Toole was.

I had never heard of Katherine of Alexandria. Fall of an Empire sounds like an action movie with epic battles. You'll be very disappointed, it is a disjointed tale with no coherent story, poor actors. acting and dialog. There are scenes from Hadrian's Wall with "Amazon Type" female barbarian warriors, at times it seemed like we were entering a Monty Python world. Two of us watched this but neither understood what the story was about and soon lost interest in the characters. Quite simply it was boring. I take it from Catherine's demise that this is where the "Catherine Wheel" in fireworks originates if so that was the only sparkle in this dire film. I recently reviewed the Homesman with Tommy Lee Jones and felt it was so bad that I had to warn the public that this was not worth the time spent watching. This film falls into the same category. One reviewer says that this is a low budget film but I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would waste their time time never mind money on making this garbage.

Luckily I went into this film with low expectations, not because of reviews on IMDb (I never trust amateur reviews), but because I'd never even heard of it before...

I love to put an independent film in the DVD player without any anticipation, sit back with a cup of Earl Grey and let the screenplay lift me out of the mediocrity of todays films into a brave new world.

This film did exactly that.

To be honest, I haven't watched too many Peter O'Toole films, even though everyone raves on about him. I didn't expect anything from him either, but boy did he blow me away with his dialogue. Katherine was exceptional and many of the other big names played nice roles too.

Impressive for a very niche Brit production.

After watching it today I came straight on here to read reviews from other fans. I've never shared a review online before myself, but after seeing some of the crushingly negative reviews, I felt I needed to share my thoughts to add some balance.

Firstly, it is blindingly obvious to me that the 1 star reviews here are by a generation completely spoilt by the cheap wizardry of Hollywood, where stories are created sheerly for profit, history is re-written and every story has the same predictable ending fit for an imbecile.

...And so, when a film like Decline of an Empire comes along with an unusual style of storytelling (dangerous), an original cast (what were they thinking), with real actors who are famous for something other than their body parts (oh my god), and an ending that leaves you with a sense of spiritual growth (!!!), instead of the predictable happily-ever-after-brain-mushing-gunk, people loose their minds!... They just can't take it! I am too young to reminisce the times of Hitchcock or Orson Welles, but I am well aware that era is truly dead... albeit for a few unique gems that come my way unexpectedly, but I feel for those who do reminisce a truly lost art.

Thank you for bringing a sweet taste of originality and depth to my screen, it's rare! Very, very rare...

In my opinion I think that there is some unintentional misleading by the movie moguls. I bought the DVD and found out for myself that this movie is clearly the story of Katherine of Alexandria and not an 'Epic battle'. I have heard from friends in Germany and the UK and the focus there is where it should be, on the life story of Katherine. I didn't take this as a religious story, I don't claim to be a religious expert and therefore cannot comment on any 'inaccuracies'. I just wanted to watch a movie, hopefully enjoy it--which I did--and see Peter O'Toole's last performance.

A big story on a small budget always gets my attention. For anyone wanting Hollywood hype and glamor, this educational story is probably not for you.

I found this film very interesting not for its apparent all male cast, but rather the strong female characters depicted. Nicole Keniheart as Saint Katherine is just beautiful, mesmerising. Where did she come from!? Empress Vita is strong, authoritative, and the Barbarian women are pretty fun, although pretty brutal at times. It goes without saying that Peter O'Toole and Edward Fox are great. Of course they are, they are Peter O'Toole and Edward Fox! I did find it confusing at times, but it didn't really deter too much from the overall enjoyment. I laughed out loud and cried, so I would recommend that you get comfy with tissues at hand, settle down and enjoy. Nicole Keniheart will be seen again for sure!

Never left a review before but worst acting in the world - felt like it was done from kids in primary school - I'm had more empathy from a wet cabbage.

Too much concentration on the music.

Poor script. Bad writing. As if the director had many versions and puzzled together the best bits. What a palaver. Nicole as the lead is questionable not a strong actor at all as if she has had no training. I feel so sorry for these great actors to have to be a part of this drivvle.

I would hardly say this is the "worst film ever made". Grow up. This is far, FAR from the worst film ever made. People are off their heads. It's a fairly decent, low budget indie with a nice message. At least it was a unique story! There is far much more garbage out there. We see Hollywood churning out these horribly made, poorly written horror films, sequels, remakes - all awfully made with an AWFUL amount of money. The reviews this movie have had are scathing, or awesome, there doesn't seem to be a happy middle ground. Which is exactly where this film lies. In the middle ground. It's not great. It's not terrible, it's fine.

Today I watched decline of an empire (Katherine of Alexandria as the Brits called it)I don't quite understand why they changed the title even though it shows the fall of the Roman empire its clearly about the life of St. Katherine. The film boasts a colorful cast and and a good script, plus it's Peter o Tooles last film and a great performance as always. Without mentioning too much, I thought the trial scene was superb, and I found the Barbarian women amusing. I thought Nicole Kenniheart was great as Katherine and beautiful too. On the negative side, sometimes it gets a bit confusing and jumps to different scenes that makes you feel something was omitted. Overall, a good film with religion action and fun.

If your looking for a film with blood and gore and fight scenes like from Gladiator then this film is not for you.

Within five minutes I had figured out that this film was made by a woman - a vanity project for the star. It screams feminism. The British warriors fighting the Romans in Northern England are all women, their men having been killed. They even have a token confident assertive black woman ship owner - what was she doing on Hadrian's wall? Katherine's writings are distributed by women couriers, and so on. I was expecting the current obligatory lesbian relationship, but might have missed it when I finally gave up pausing it to do something else and switched it off permanently. Apart from being incomprehensible plot wise, the dialog screamed out for dubbing. I had no problem with the written dialog, just - the - way - it - was - delivered. The leading lady who also produced, spoke in a stilted phonetic English that was excruciating to listen to. Dubbing the foreign actors in normal speed would have sped up the film 75%. OK she gets applause for trying, but the audience deserves better. I really thought I was watching a post war Italian sandals and toga epic.

My question, how did the female Mel Gibson get the funding for this vanity project? It was almost as bad, not quite, but almost, as the independent film about St. Theresa of Liseiux. This film did not even deserve to go straight to DVD, it should have gone into the trash can.

Not all history is entertainment. Yes liberties are often taken, especially with the mundane parts of history like the slow, dreadful, pathetic fall of the Roman empire. Not all characters are thrilling, famous and riveting, some are vanilla, because that is the mold from which they were cast, so no matter who plays their roll, they should not excite if they want to be accurate, that said, we all know the liberties Hollywood, writers, directors, producers love to take to sell tickets, I think because they didn't stick to true history, and maybe tapped other movies fortes, they might have dragged themselves down with the ship. Still I think Katherine's resonating message is well worth portraying and listening to. You won't know until you watch it, unless you want to read some boring, dry Roman historian's account of the period!

I have to admit that I am in total agreement with "Had Enough" and his review. This movie is virtually incomprehensible and that's a shame, because the legend of Catherine of Alexandria could have been the basis of a terrific film. Needless to say, this was not a terrific film. There was about as much historical accuracy in this film as there was in Walt Disney and Fess Parker telling the tale of Daniel Boone.

Nicole Keniheart's (as Katherine) performance was the only redeeming quality in this otherwise convoluted mess.

Peter O'Toole seems to have called in his lines (or maybe it was just a CGI rerun of his performance in Troy). This is also a shame as it was Mr. O'Toole's last performance--he died shortly before the film was released.

If you choose to watch this film, drink lots of coffee so as to stay alert, and pay very close attention. The slightest inattention and you will lose the plot, characters, events, and probably your reason for watching this movie, forever.

Like too many recent 'epics,' the film is a good choice for most viewers. This could work in some cases, like this one for example seeing scenes where a dozen or so men constitute a major Roman battle is genius. This can also be said of scenes involving cities like Rome and Alexandria– places consisting of thriving metropolises. There is a golden epic about this film i loved it.You must take the family to see this film. O'Toole great performance as well as the other fine older actors Edward Fox and Joss Ackland–so there's a lot to see in this movie. Their presence was very enjoyable and they often seemed a like Oscar winning performances in the film. And, even for nostalgia value, it was very enjoyable.