What do you get when you mix Gladiator with Roland Emmerich and a hefty dose of special effects? Paul W.S. Anderson’s Pompeii. 

Anderson’s latest is all about the ill-fated Roman city that got wiped out by a nasty volcano. This being a mainstream feature film, the story isn’t just about the volcano laying waste to thousands of innocent people. No, Pompeii is also a love story about slave-turned-gladiator Milo (Kit Harrington) and Cassia (Emily Browning) who are trying to get some alone time when the big mountain top blows. Total mood killer.

Pompeii looks like the type of big action film that is typically released in February. Packed with special effects, pretty faces and a paper-thin story, its major selling points are the big blow ’em ups that’ll come when the eruptions start. Make no mistake, the main star of Pompeii will definitely be the volcano itself.

Pompeii opens February 21st.