I enjoy history, however, other than the Roman Gods all I know I learned from a 6th grade world history class, the Bible, Shakespeare, 'Gladiator' and 'Rome.' Yes, I am aware three out of five of those are fiction. Even if you don't believe in God, the book was written during the height of the Roman empire. My reasons for disagreeing with the negative reviews: *HISTORICAL ACCURACY-'Barbarians Rising' is clearly listed as a docudrama (a dramatized TV movie based on real events.) *HANNIBAL-The fact that a black man played Hannibal should matter just as much as the white Englishmen playing Romans, Barbarians and Attila the Hun. *BARBARIAN-The definition of a barbarian is a community of a tribe not belonging to the Greek, Roman, or Christian civilization. Unfortunately, no matter how great the might or how beautiful the civilization of Carthage might have been, they were still part of the Barbarian horde. WAR OVER TRADE OR SLAVERY?-One reviewer stated the Carthaginians owned slaves, but I don't believe that meant they were willing to become slaves, themselves. As to why Hannibal and the Carthaginians went to war with Rome (revenge, slavery, control over the Med, or because they were invaded) I would assume it was for multiple reasons as opposed to just one. *DEMONIZING ROME-History is never absolute. Most of the media we see is told from the side of the Roman point of view, thereby demonizing the 'others.'This story was told from the Barbarians side and doing so can only demonize Rome. Though, to be fair Rome fought to conquer, not defend themselves. *COMMENTATORS-I understand the selection they made. The Military leaders spoke of the battles and the strategy behind them; the CEO spoke about leadership, topics with which they were experienced. Though I often believe Jesse Jackson to be an opportunistic narcissist, he does have a tremendous way to make others see the oppression, and his area of expertise came into play because of what the barbarians were facing, I would like to point out that the inclusion of the other, more celebrated, commentators did not push out those to whom history is their expertise. And, if nothing else, watching Tom Hopper never hurt a soul. (Sigh)
Review of Barbarians Rising
