Deserves a little more respect

I avoided this movie for a long time. The trailers didn't do a ton for me, and the reviews weren't great, so I just decided not to fuck with it.

Lately I've been on a Roman Empire kick though so I decided to go ahead and check this one out. And you know what . . . it's not bad. The story bottoms out a bit in the middle but it starts well and ends well, and if you can do that, then your movie should at least be a decent watch.

I thought the narrative was interesting enough to hold my attention, the action was also good enough to get a pass, and Channing Tatum did a surprisingly good job as a Roman commander. I have seen him cited as a weak link in the film but I don't think that's true at all.

I'm legitimately surprised to see that the film only has a 40% on RT, and even more surprised to see that the audience score is only a 41%. This seems like the kind of film where, even if the critics don't care for it, the audiences will be satisfied.

It's not a GREAT film. It would certainly be better if the second act was stronger. But if you enjoy films about the Roman Empire and have seen everything else, or just like movies about warriors and adventuring, The Eagle might satisfy your sweet tooth.