The Eagle (of the Ninth) (I refuse to use the short form)
Oh, Hollywood. You actually did this properly. Okay, it's streamlined in a few places (they don't use the eye doctor cover but it would take a lot of explanation so you can see why they simplified it), Cottia's cut out, and the tribe interaction is cut down a bit, but... it's essentially all there. It's filmed on location (dad going 'oh, I know that glen!'). The highlands *look* cold and bleak and gorgeous. The battle/skirmish scenes are suitably nasty. Donald Sutherland is duly sarcastic and constantly amused as Marcus' uncle. The gladiator match and Esca's beginning of serving Marcus is really well done. Roman Camp - so much detail. :squee: Director knows how to do 'something's coming, we don't know what but it's *wrong*' tension.
The only bit that's lacking is that they compress the year and change Marcus and Esca spend falling in love becoming friends so you don't get the absolute trust and there's more friction on the quest, but it all ends up fine. Not quite as blatantly slashy as the book, but still slashy enough for pretty much everyone to go "Bromance. :cough: Totally a bromance. In conclusion, bromance." Oh, and you don't really notice the american accents aside from as a decent way to differentiate between the Romans and British slaves, native speakers vs not, (all the Romans with speaking parts I recognised as american actors - Hi, Denis O'Hare!) and the highlanders're speaking something that sounds very much like Scots Gaelic. Someone back me up on this?
:is off to find fanfic: