Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans

Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans – Atti is a Roman teenager more interested in smarts than brawn. But after a horse urine mixup he finds himself enlisted in the army and sent to Britain in order to quell the rebellious Celts, led by the domineering Queen Boudicca. After being captured by headstrong Orla, daughter of a Celt Chieftain, Atti must decide whether it is his heart or his mind that will lead his life.

Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans (2019) – Director: Dominic Brigstocke

Rating: PG

Running Length: 92 mins

Starring: Sebastian Croft, Emilia Jones, Nick Frost

Genre: Comedy, Period

REVIEW: ‘HORRIBLE HISTORIES: THE MOVIE – ROTTEN ROMANS’

The Horrible Histories franchise has been going for many years now under many iterations. Originating from the books by Terry Deary and given a modern popularity boost by the children’s BBC 2009 series (which treated the material like a comedy sketch show with hilarious results), the positivity associated with the name is high. Whilst this movie features none of the highly talented cast of the 2009 series (which is on constant repeat on U.K. TV), the core essence of mixing historical educational material with gloriously childish jokes remains in check.

Although movie this may be, the big screen Horrible Histories is, perhaps unsurprisingly, more a glorified extra long episode with little ‘silver screen’ magic beyond better quality wide shots packed with more extras. However, if Horrible Histories were to go all big Hollywood budget then the low-fi charm would have been erased. The central plot threat tying things together rests with young Roman Atti (Croft), punished by being forcibly enlisted, and Orla (Jones), a Celt teenager who yearns for the glory of battle. The two actors are young and deliver performances that scream ‘kids TV show’. It may be simplistic, but their antagonism turned camaraderie makes for an engaging and fun anchor around which other Roman tomfoolery can orbit.

It is a testament to the writing that ‘Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans’ manages to retain the winning formula of blending educational material with genuinely funny nonsense. You learn without it feeling forced and you laugh at the sheer daftness of how it is presented. Be it a kleptomaniac mother, a Emperor Nero who has a whole song routine about how he is ‘not a mummy’s boy’, or Queen Boudicca going on tour to gather energised Celts to her cause. Whilst the Horrible Histories movie may not be as funny as a variety of the best sketches from the TV series due to having to compact itself to a singular narrative, it is still a success of uniquely small budget British filmmaking. The past is no longer a mystery!

CONTENT: IS ‘HORRIBLE HISTORIES: THE MOVIE – ROTTEN ROMANS’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

A soothsayer says that the ‘chicken guts speak the future’ whilst standing in front of a barely visible chicken.

An ill character vomits suddenly and we see the sick splash all over someone’s feet. A poisoned feather is shoved down his throat by a doctor who is threatened into such action.

A gladiator is stretchered out of the arena with a long sword protruding vertically from their abdomen. They groan in pain.

A gift is given to the Emperor consisting of a bear skin. The dialogue states that the person “killed the bear and hollowed it out”. It is used as a ‘bear suit’ briefly.

A background character is ‘taken away’ so that they can be punished when the Emperor is upset.. A slash noise is heard followed by an ‘urrrgh!’ implying they have been killed off camera.

During a gladiatorial battle someone is slashed and the camera cuts to the audience. A red arc of blood jets onto the tunic of a woman in the audience who complains about the stain.

When Atti is captured and held in Orla’s village the hut he is kept in has a stack of severed heads in the background. They briefly call attention to this when he complains about the quality of the decorations.

As Boudicca’s army increases a counter appears on screen to indicate she has 50,000. This increases to 50,001 and 50,002 until someone swings an axe too enthusiastically which thunks into someone’s chest. The number then deceases to 50,001 again.

Someone is encouraged to vomit in order to make room for more food. A splash of vomit splats up a woman’s neck. Shortly after a character mentions that they need to urinate. Instead of leaving the room, they are given a bucket which they place under their tunic. They sit and audibly relieve themself. One ‘outsider’ character is aghast whereas the rest react only as if this is normal Roman behaviour.

A battle between the Romans and Welsh Druids is shown. Mostly the Romans just push them over but when the battle is ordered to stop, one accidentally carries out and stabs a druid with his sword. The druid drops dead and the Roman says “sorry!” to his superior. There is no blood.

A clan is drugged so that they all fall asleep. However, once the potion wears off they all slowly regain consciousness by sitting up and groaning. IN OUR SCREENING a young child was scared briefly at this scene which continues for a minute before a comedy moment breaks the tension.

Some Celts decide to ‘sacrifice’ a character by throwing them into a bog. They pick him up and chant, “Bog! Bog! Bog!” whilst carrying him off screen.

The mother of the Emperor is stabbed by a subordinate. She gasps in surprise and drops dead. No-one is upset by this.

A main character is injured by an axe in the chest during the climactic battle. He is taken to a tree to lean against and appears close to death. Other characters are upset but this is not strong and the situation is finalised after a few minutes, with comedic things happening in the meantime.

There is talk of the Celts being uncultured to which they respond with burps and flatulence. They keep stating that they are ‘Farticus’ in a parody of the famous Sparticus / Life of Brian scene.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘HORRIBLE HISTORIES: THE MOVIE – ROTTEN ROMANS’ FOR KIDS?

The Horrible Histories TV series (2009 onwards) married a sketch show format with historical material with childish glee. The result was something that genuinely entertained all ages and thankfully this big screen outing for the franchise continues to make that difficult balance look effortless. The movie is rated PG and, taken literally, our content guide may make it seem a unsuitably violent. However, the silliness of the humour and tone coats all of this with a fun layering that means you can’t help be smile at the daftness of it all. We therefore recommend ‘Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans’ as suitable for all ages.

• Violence: 2/5 (various stabbings but with virtually no blood or visible wounds. Minimal suffering)
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (one character is upset when a relative suffers an apparently mortal wound. However, this is punctured by comedy throughout)
• Fear Factor: 1/5 (when the Celts awake from their drugged sleep this may scare young children)
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 1/5 (constant references to calling a character a ‘loser’. One use of ‘scumbag’. Nothing stronger than this)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (several threats of violence and death. Constant references to killing)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of invasion, empires, rebellion, fighting against oppressors, ridiculing of the intelligent, sexism, finding common ground, nepotism, and wanting to prove yourself.
• AS THE CREDITS ROLE there is more comedy material, including talk about specific elements of the movie that are factually correct, and also a full version of a song that was previously cut short.

Words by Michael Record