The First King Movie (2019)

Romulus & Remus: The First King movie is a 2019 Italian historical drama film directed by Matteo Rovere.Set in the 8th century BC.

The First King movie stars are Alessandro Borghi (as Remo), Alessio Lapice (as Romolo), and Fabrizio Rongione (as Lars il Vecchio).

In Old Latium in 753 BC, a flash flood causes the two shepherd brothers Romulus and Remus to be stranded and captured as slaves in Alba Longa. They are able to rebel and free the other Latin and Sabine prisoners and take the Vesta priestess Satnei, who carries with her the sacred fire, as a hostage. In a conflict concerning the injured Romulus, Remus ends up killing the Latin leader and becomes the new leader of the tribe.

The group face and defeat a warrior clan and Remus is appointed king by the surviving old men and women of their pagus. During a sacrifice, Satnei predicts that one of the two brothers will become a great king and build an empire larger than what can be imagined, but to do so he will have to kill the other brother. The tribe assume that the prophecy means that Romulus will end up dead for the sake of his brother’s greatness.

Remus refuses to accept a divine order that requires him to kill his brother. He extinguishes the sacred fire of Vesta, kills an old priest and leaves Satnei helpless in the middle of a forest. Returning to the pagus, Remus degrades all the inhabitants into slaves. Romulus regains his health and confronts Remus about his actions. Remus, regretful, goes to find Satnei, who while dying from having been attacked by wild animals tells him that sparing Romulus now means that it is Remus who will end up dead at the hands of Romulus.

Romulus is able to rekindle the sacred fire and becomes the new leader of the pagus. He appoints a young woman to watch over the fire so it remains lit, thereby establishing the first Vestal. Remus, trying to escape the prophecy, heads for the Tiber with a group of men, but is attacked by Alban cavalry and only saved by the tribe of Romulus. Remus then claims the tribe for himself and threatening to extinguish the sacred flame is confronted by his brother. Remus induces his brother to kill him so that the prophecy can be fulfilled. On his deathbed, he makes peace with his brother, recognizes him as his king, and tells him to establish a city on the other side of the river.

The tribe cross the Tiber and burn Remus’ body on a pyre. Romulus swears to build the world’s largest and most powerful city on his brother’s ashes. He gives the city the name of Rome.

During the end credits, an animated map shows the expansion of the territory subject to Rome up to its peak under the emperor Trajan in 117.

I saw this film at home during my time in a shelter in California, and it’s a well-shot drama. From the start, the movie features gripping sequences that I couldn’t stop watching in the middle of.

The costumes, character acting, and background setting are all fantastic, but I was a little concerned that Romulus got more credit and did less effort; perhaps Remus wanted to see his brother as king, but any way, it’s a great show. The performers, director, and production staff all get full marks.

The movie was rated a 6.5 on a scale of ten on the IMDb website and received a meta score of  62%on Metacritic.

Is the first king a good movie?

This one is fantastic. Definitely worth watching at least twice. I thought some of the details, such as the performers’ reactions, were a touch too dramatic, and some of the closeup shots were a little too lengthy. But, aside from these little annoyances, it’s a fantastic film with a compelling narrative and well-developed characters.

Is the first king historically accurate?

The information in the story is correct. Romulus and Remus are abandoned twin brothers… Romulus founds a new city named after himself, Rome, in both Il Primo Re and Livy’s Early History of Rome.

What language is Romulus v Remus (The First King movie)?

Matteo Rovere’s The First King: Birth of an Empire (Italian: Il primo re) is a 2019 Italian historical drama film directed by Matteo Rovere. It was distributed in the United Kingdom as Romulus v Remus: The First King.

Is there an English version of the first king?

The story of two shepard brothers, Romulus and Remus, who discover that their close friendship is transforming into something quite different when it comes to who will govern.