Apocalypse Pompeii is a production of The Asylum—a film production company known for making so-called 'mockbusters'. These mockbusters are films that are released to coincide with the release of big studio epics in order to capitalize on the hubbub surrounding the big-budget movies. They feature titles that are VERY similar to the bigger films—and the movie poster for Apocalypse Pompeii looks an awful lot like that of the upcoming Pompeii! A few other examples of their films are Atlantic Rim, Death Racers, American Battleship, Snakes on a Train…and many others. They also are the same folks who have given us the Sharknado franchise. Because of this, it's obvious the film will have a low budget and very modest pretensions—and most likely will be a film you'll see coming direct to DVD. Despite all this, it is surprising to see that the film actually was shot, in part, in Pompeii as well as…Bulgaria?! Also, the plot is radically different from Pompeii—with the big budget film being set in ancient times and the mockbuster being set in the present. The film begins with a prologue showing some Hispanic family fleeing in terror from a volcano eruption. Oddly, however, this has almost nothing to do with the film—a film set on the other side of the globe in Italy! After the credits roll, you see a family in Naples. The father has a business meeting and he's brought his wife and teenage daughter with him. While he's at his big meeting, the rest of the family goes to an outing to nearby Pompeii—site of a huge mega-explosion that killed thousands in 79 A.D.. Not surprisingly, soon after the pair arrives at Pompeii, the mountain explodes—and folks run for cover. Fortunately for those who teamed up with the wife and daughter is the fact that the teen knows MORE about volcanoes and how to survive them than a team of volcanologist!! This all-knowing girl, again and again, knows EXACTLY what to do and helps this group survive long enough for the father to become a Rambo-like action hero! The dad (of course) is some sort of ex-military genius and he instantly assembles a team to help him steal a helicopter from a military base (!!) and head to Pompeii to look for his family. If it sounds like the plot is stupid and filled with significant plot problems, then you are pretty much right on the mark!So is the film 100% bad? No. As I mentioned above, it does have some actual footage of Pompeii. It also keeps your interest, as the pace and music work fairly well and SOME of the acting is competent. Unfortunately, the plot is stupid and the characters are shallow—often coming off as caricatures. I wouldn't rush out to buy a copy or rent the film. Instead, I'd wait until it most likely shows up on the SyFy Channel and watch it if you have absolutely nothing else to do (and that includes washing your hair, checking your air conditioner filters and breathing).

Okay. I've been a member of IMDb for a long time but i've never written a review until now. That's because this movie is, sadly, an epic failure! i know it's a B-rated movie and i know it's a budget movie but there are so many better B-rated movies out there!! The question is, why is this one so catastrophically bad?I could not stand watching it for 30 minutes, heck it was just 13 minutes and my brain started seeping through my ears and my eyes were going half blind by what i've seen so far.DO NOT WASTE PRECIOUS TIME WATCHING THIS MOVIE....instead go and walk your dog or feed your cat or just lie down on your bed and look at the ceiling, trust me, thats a million times better.

First of all, I gave 1 out of 10 because I don't have the option of giving a rating below 0. Words like cheap trash, time wasting, mind scrambler spring to mind! I am ready to sue somebody for my precious 30 minutes of life wasted away on this...this...I'm speechless. I am deeply disappointed with me for not letting it go after the trailer! In my 4 years of using IMDb I have never felt compelled to make an account. I had to now, in order to warn people about this movie. Do not watch it! Warn your friends. Protect your children!! No plot, no special effects, no acting, no directing, just a beautiful scenery badly used. Sir David Attenborough would cry his eyes out. Ben Demaree, please, I beg of you, learn to brew coffee or make beagles or something, and pick up another career. It's really not to late for you do do something with your life! This...this...this will just not work!

I just created an account to make sure no one else watches this movie. Anyone involved in the creation of this failtrocity, from the director to the catering company, should feel ashamed. I'm ashamed that I've watched the whole thing. The "special effects" are awful, the acting is horrendous, the story plot is inexistent, overall I have absolutely nothing good to say about this movie. After the movie I had to look at my calendar to make sure we were still in 2014. With all the technologies available nowadays, I was hoping that at least the lava and the explosions would somewhat look real and cool, but this was not the case at all. Poking your eyes with a fork for 86 minutes will bring you greater entertainment than watching this movie. Cheers,