I liked the movie; the set design was impressive, and Marcus Aurelius was properly portrayed as a stoic. I also loved his death speech.

Thematically, the movie is well done. It highlights the stoic ideals of Marcus Aurelius, particularly his virtues of duty and responsibility above everything else, even in the face of immense suffering. These ideals clash with more worldly desires, as seen in his son Commodus, who acts like a serpent, seducing others away from virtue. This conflict is also reflected in the struggle against the barbarians. A recurring phrase, “I am not as strong as I thought I was,” encapsulates this theme well. 7.5/10.

I’m just gonna say this like it is—Hunger and Pain from Ao3 is peak fiction. No, I will not elaborate.
Be warned, though—it is sometimes cringy, and they do kill each other, cannibalize each other, and find, let’s just say, very creative ways to fuck each other—metaphorically and not metaphorically.

This is kino. I should rewatch it after reading Aquinas. 7.5/10.

EDIT: Reading the following interpretation bumps the score up to 8.5/10.

Being a Stoic in its true sense—rather than the crude distortion of pop culture—is difficult, not because of the practice itself, but because you can never be certain whether you truly are one or merely masquerading as one.

When Seneca was forced by Nero to take his own life and went through all the rites of a Stoic, did he genuinely believe that externals held no value? Or was this simply the only way he knew to face the situation?

You will only ever know when it’s too late—when death comes knocking. But then, there is no one left to know, no one left to judge.