Films based on comic books have been a hot trend in Hollywood the last decade or so. But now graphic novels, which many people want to call comic books, are being made into films as well. These films also have the unique look of live-action graphic novels on the big screen as well. 300 was really the film to start this trend. So in typical Hollywood fashion, you knew that there would soon be copycats out there. The live-action graphic novel look has now found its way to cable television with The History Channel’s new series, Battles B.C..
Battles B.C. explores the ancient world from a military perspective focusing on icons & events such as Hannibal: The Annihilator; David: The Giant Slayer; Alexander: Lord of War; Moses: Death Chase; Judgment Day at Marathon; Joshua: Epic Slaughter; Caesar: Super Siege; and Ramses: Raging Chariot. In each episode of Battles B.C., recreations of some of the most notable ancient wars are presented. Each episode will dissects an infamous clash between ancient armies. The goal of the series is to expose the truths and myths behind these heroes and villains by examining their weapons, strategies, and commanders used during these battles.
The strength of this series is the fact that the most interesting and best warriors are featured here, along with the most fascinating battles from the ancient world. The subjects featured here are more known by the general public than other historical figures, so the series has the chance to gain a larger audience, which the network wanted. The visuals are also excellent. The violence is a little graphic, but you likely won’t be bored by this series. It also helps that historians are on board to explain things to non-history fans.
At the same time, the negatives of the series are almost equal to the positives. There might be too much violence for younger viewers to watch and get educated from this history lessons. Also, sometimes the focus is too much on the 300-style graphics with the violence looking a little too cartoonish at times. In addition, there are plenty of historical inaccuracies that history fans will be able to nitpick about. It’s hard to believe that all of these figures looked like the bodybuilders from the 300 movie.
The History Channel hoped to gain a larger audience with its Battles B.C. series. It made it look like the film 300, in an attempt to cater to the graphic novel and comic book fans. This series is certainly entertaining and won’t put you to sleep. But despite the numerous historians explaining to the audience what is exactly going on, there are still too many historical inaccuracies to really make this educational. So in the end the history fans will be annoyed by the lack of historical facts, and everyone else will certainly be entertained, but likely won’t remember nor want to watch this series after one time.
The video included is available in fullscreen color presented at the 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The quality is good. Probably a little better than it was presented on TV. Audio is English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound.
There are no extras for this DVD set.
Rent it if you liked 300 and are somewhat interested in history. Not really worth a purchase, though, for anyone.
A&E Home Entertainment presents Battles B.C.: The Complete Season One. Created by Gabriel Cornell and David W. Padrusch. Narrated by Ted Marcoux. Running time: 376 minutes. NOT RATED. Released on DVD: August 25, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
