Review of Megapolis: The Ancient World Revealed (2020)
Seen in 2021.
Seen with English-language narration.
The planning and architecture of ancient Athens, Alexandria, Tikal and Rome.
The focus is on animated computer visualizations which, though they are impressive and a significant advancement over the work of Steve Breeze on 1990s Time Team, are still quite sterile. Many shots are reused over and over, especially for Alexandria’s transitions between the ancient and modern. These are intercut only with a handful of present-day drone shots and experts in simple, static monologue. The material is interesting enough, but the budget isn’t quite there to sustain the ambition of making the presentation exciting.