Tom Hiddleston, known for his role in The Avengers, teams up with real-life scholars to explore the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 in the National Geographic documentary Pompeii: Out of Time (Disney+, from Thursday). The show combines academic rigor with dramatic reenactments, offering a fresh perspective on the ancient disaster.
Hiddleston's Classical Credentials
Hiddleston, who earned a double first in classics from Cambridge, slips into the role of an undergraduate detective. He translates Latin headstones and interacts with experts, though some scripted banter feels forced. Despite accusations of smugness, his background lends credibility to the project.
Revisionist History
The documentary challenges the common belief that Vesuvius's eruption was instantaneous. Hiddleston explains that it took a day for Pompeii to be buried, giving residents time to make choices. He uses a visual technique—freezing frames and rewinding action—to illustrate how new information changes the narrative.
Emotional Reenactments
The show features evidence-based, plausible stories of three Romans on that day, written by Jessica Ruston and playwright Mark Ravenhill. These sequences, described as elegiac and moving, turn the documentary into a disaster film that captures the shock, majesty, and brutality of the eruption.
Empathy for Ordinary People
Hiddleston aims to evoke empathy for the hopeless heroism of ordinary Romans. The documentary, a low-key tearjerker, succeeds in making viewers feel the scale of human calamity, much like re-watching Titanic during the pandemic brought a new understanding of loss.
