Best 10 Historical Romance Movies Just as Intense as Pompeii

Pompeii is an action-packed historical drama based on the fateful day when Vesuvius erupted and charred the inhabitants of an entire city. Filmmaker Paul W. S. Anderson, known for his video game adaptations such as the Resident Evil franchise, is trying to build a captivating world as close as possible to the ancient Roman city.

In the 2014 film, a young man whose entire village, including his family, is being massacred by a ruthless Roman general must find a way to survive. Finally, he arrives in Pompeii and meets a woman with whom he can never be with, because he is a slave, and she is an aristocrat.

This disaster movie is largely inspired by Gladiator and Titanic and discusses the importance of kindness, true love and the dangers of living in a city with a volcano that everyone thinks is asleep. This film tries to weave the historical incident with a fictional story of two lovers and turns out to be a real tear for lovers of historical romance.

A movie that hits all the right chords is hard to find, which is why we have a list of the movies that you might like. You can watch most of these Pompeii-like movies on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.

Dantes Peak (1997)

Pierce Brosnan plays a volcanologist in this disaster film by Roger Donaldson. At Dantes Peak, he has to work with the mayor of a country town to convince people that the long dormant volcano could erupt very soon. It’s similar to Pompeii,

where residents also have to fight an approaching natural disaster, even if it takes place in a more modern scenario. Moderna scenario. Both films show severe destruction caused by a volcano, which reflect people’s fears of certain death, although they are set in different time frames.

The Age of Adaline (2015)

Starring Blake Lively, The Age Of Adaline tells the story of Adaline, a woman who miraculously stopped aging in 1937 at the age of 29. She has been constantly adopting new identities, but when she falls in love with a man these days, she has to decide whether she wants to keep running or not.

Cinematography, costumes, hair and make-up greatly help the audience in the journey into the life of Adaline in the last century. The film received modest reviews, and critics praised the performances of Blake Lively and Harrison Fords. Unexpected revelations and fantastic elements give this film an interesting twist and make viewers question its morality.

The Last Legion (2007)

There is a lot of Roman history in the narrative of The Last Legion, directed by Doug Lefler. There is not much left of the Roman Empire when the Roman general Aurelius tries to help the last young Caesar escape captivity on Capri. But betrayal comes again in an unexpected way, and soldiers have to fight for what they believe in.

This film also has an interesting reference to Excalibur, who eventually finds his way to King Arthur. With an all-star cast that includes Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, this historical action adventure is similar to Pompeii in terms of its references to the Roman Empire and the abundance of war scenes that seem essential for a historical drama film.

Far and Away (1992)

Starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman while they were still married, Far and Away follows Joseph and Shannon, two Irish immigrants who strike up an unlikely friendship and eventually a relationship when they travel to the United States in search of land in 1893.

The constant quarrels and frustrations of the characters are funny and captivating, while they gradually develop and reveal their feelings. Pretending to be siblings also creates a fun tension as the romance grows. The film was not well received by critics and had mixed reviews from the audience, but its somewhat extravagant and predictable plot is perfect for a movie night on Valentine’s Day.

Ben Hur (2016)

Jack Huston stars in this historical drama together with Morgan Freeman. Huston plays a Jew in Timur Bekmambetov’s Ben-Hur who is betrayed by his adopted Roman brother and joins the Roman army. When the Jews begin to oppose Roman rule, his brother becomes a nightmare for the family, and Ben Hur has to fight for what is right.

Just as Harington fell in love with an aristocratic woman as a slave in Pompeii, Ben Hur falls in love with his family’s slave and marries her in this historical drama. Also in this film, Roman rule is a nightmare for lovers and for those who seek justice.

Romeo and Juliet (2013)

While Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptations of Shakespeare’s iconic story are themselves classics, Carlo Carleis’ Romeo and Juliet is somewhat underestimated. Although it received mixed reviews due to its additions and omissions in the script, this adaptation offers a fresh view of the story for a new generation, while still playing at the fair in Verona.

The cast, led by Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld, also includes Damian Lewis, Stellan Skarsgard and Paul Giamatti. The film was beautifully shot on a location in Verona and is a worthy addition to the Romeo and Juliet catalogue.

Centurian (2010)

Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko star in this historical action drama directed by Neil Marshall, in which Roman soldiers protest against the destruction of their legion. The Celts or Picts are trying their best to prevent the Roman soldiers from reaching their safety net by conducting guerrilla warfare, since their task is to completely eliminate the Romans.

Centurion dispenses with historical accuracy to create a gripping narrative that keeps Roman soldiers and audiences on their toes. Like Pompeii, this historical drama also sheds light on the Roman Empire when it still existed and shows many war scenes to capture a similar audience from both films, even if the Romans do not seem to have the upper hand in this film.

Agora (2009)

Rachel Weisz as Hypatia of Alexandria is erudite and influential in astronomy and philosophy at a time when the Roman Empire ceases to exist and Christianity is gaining momentum. His slave quickly converts to Christianity for his freedom in this historical drama by Alejandro Amen, set in Roman Egypt.

Oscar Isaac also plays the role of his student in now and is in love with Hypatia. While Pompeii shows a still strong Roman Empire, this film shows its demise, but both historical dramas are similar in terms of Roman history, wars and the need for strong women not to bend to the consensus of rulers and governors.

One Day (2011)

Based on the novel of the same name, Dexter and Emma, One Day follows two friends, on the same day from 1988 to 2006. Starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, the film received mixed reviews due to its long plot and the accuracy of the actors’ accents. However, the story is still popular and is being turned into a series acquired by Netflix.

Despite all this, One Day gives an interesting insight into how a person’s life can change from year to year and how our lives intertwine with others, especially with those we love. Although the film is set in recent history, the passage of time in a single day gives a romantic film a unique twist.

Pompeii: The Last Day (2003)

This documentary describes the feelings of those present in Pompeii in 79 AD, when Vesuvius erupted and destroyed all the inhabitants. Directed by Peter Nicholson, Pompeii: The Last Day attempts to give a historically accurate account of events, while taking some creative liberties to describe cases of devastating changes in the lives of residents whose charred remains were found in the end.

It stars Rachel Atkins and Jim Carter in a similar narrative to Pompeii, which also shows what happened on the day of the eruption. Both films showed historical and dramatized examples to depict the notorious natural disaster.