For the most part, docudramas can have great acting and writing, but suffer tremendously from budget constraints that cancel those out entirely.
They can also have horrible acting and writing, and a decent budget.
Unfortunately, as any history buff will tell you, this is just part of being a history buff since most people could care less about history and thus rarely are historical works that aren't a World War special given the love and attention they deserve.
But, on the rare occasion, you do you have a docudrama that has both great writing/acting AND a big(ish) budget AND is historically accurate.
This is one of those.
If there is ANY field you simply have to give Netflix credit for, it's how much they support historical documentaries and docudramas, moreso than just about any platform does or ever has. Not only do they have a great selection of them, but a lot of the Netflix produced ones are actually quite good.
Like, who'd have thought, right?
However, what is MOST important to me, more than any other thing that makes any sort of film production "good," is historical accuracy. And in this regard, Rise of Empires excels.
Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't know history or doesn't know what a docudrama is.
Here is a fact of life about history: We almost never, like literally just about never, have any idea the conversations that actually took place behind closed doors when some of the big moments you do read about in history books happened. We know this battle happened, this guy was assassinated, this mission was planned, attempted, and failed...but rarely do we know what was ACTUALLY said in the King's chambers when it was planned.
Enter: Docudrama. Take what we know for sure, and fill in the blanks. Sure, it's entirely possible many of the conversations in RoE never happened even remotely as they did in the show.
However, Rise of Empires, both season 1 and 2, captures pretty much every major KNOWN fact and event and portrays it with supreme detail, while ALSO making it clear the writers did their research on the characters they're writing for, and so make it likely that this very well could be roughly how these unknown background moments actually went.
As for historical accuracy, maybe with a few small exceptions, like seeing Mehmed II leading the front line of his armies into battle (when it was much more likely he stayed in the back commanding troops), or the bright, fanciful colors of Ottoman uniforms replaced with colorful-compared-to-Crusaders-but-still-dull ones, it really is quite accurate.
And as for the filling in of the blanks...imagine Game of Thrones, but without the fantasy and nudity. All of the political intrigue, espionage, family drama...basically the real life events that inspired GoT...are front and center here. Machiavelli confirms this stuff not only went on, but was quite common...why would it be any different with a man named Vlad "the Impaler" Dracula?
Are you familiar with the phrase "real life is stranger than fiction?" Well that phrase exists because of people like Vlad Dracula, and historical moments like what's seen in season 1 and 2 of Rise of Empires.
So, long review short, even if you aren't particularly a history buff, or have even the slightest interest in Ottoman history, if you like medieval battles and good performances, this really is a must see. We don't get many medieval productions these days, so you kind of have to take what you can get...and as of now, this is as good as it gets.
And, honestly, I don't think it'll get any better than this unless it's a big budget Hollywood production. And it's unlikely those will feature commentary from real historians and experts on the subject, so, in all seriousness, Rise of Empires is really quite a gift to humanity and history lovers alike.
Thanks for actually doing something that makes me not question bothering to keep paying for you, Netflix. I, for one, am grateful.
They can also have horrible acting and writing, and a decent budget.
Unfortunately, as any history buff will tell you, this is just part of being a history buff since most people could care less about history and thus rarely are historical works that aren't a World War special given the love and attention they deserve.
But, on the rare occasion, you do you have a docudrama that has both great writing/acting AND a big(ish) budget AND is historically accurate.
This is one of those.
If there is ANY field you simply have to give Netflix credit for, it's how much they support historical documentaries and docudramas, moreso than just about any platform does or ever has. Not only do they have a great selection of them, but a lot of the Netflix produced ones are actually quite good.
Like, who'd have thought, right?
However, what is MOST important to me, more than any other thing that makes any sort of film production "good," is historical accuracy. And in this regard, Rise of Empires excels.
Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't know history or doesn't know what a docudrama is.
Here is a fact of life about history: We almost never, like literally just about never, have any idea the conversations that actually took place behind closed doors when some of the big moments you do read about in history books happened. We know this battle happened, this guy was assassinated, this mission was planned, attempted, and failed...but rarely do we know what was ACTUALLY said in the King's chambers when it was planned.
Enter: Docudrama. Take what we know for sure, and fill in the blanks. Sure, it's entirely possible many of the conversations in RoE never happened even remotely as they did in the show.
However, Rise of Empires, both season 1 and 2, captures pretty much every major KNOWN fact and event and portrays it with supreme detail, while ALSO making it clear the writers did their research on the characters they're writing for, and so make it likely that this very well could be roughly how these unknown background moments actually went.
As for historical accuracy, maybe with a few small exceptions, like seeing Mehmed II leading the front line of his armies into battle (when it was much more likely he stayed in the back commanding troops), or the bright, fanciful colors of Ottoman uniforms replaced with colorful-compared-to-Crusaders-but-still-dull ones, it really is quite accurate.
And as for the filling in of the blanks...imagine Game of Thrones, but without the fantasy and nudity. All of the political intrigue, espionage, family drama...basically the real life events that inspired GoT...are front and center here. Machiavelli confirms this stuff not only went on, but was quite common...why would it be any different with a man named Vlad "the Impaler" Dracula?
Are you familiar with the phrase "real life is stranger than fiction?" Well that phrase exists because of people like Vlad Dracula, and historical moments like what's seen in season 1 and 2 of Rise of Empires.
So, long review short, even if you aren't particularly a history buff, or have even the slightest interest in Ottoman history, if you like medieval battles and good performances, this really is a must see. We don't get many medieval productions these days, so you kind of have to take what you can get...and as of now, this is as good as it gets.
And, honestly, I don't think it'll get any better than this unless it's a big budget Hollywood production. And it's unlikely those will feature commentary from real historians and experts on the subject, so, in all seriousness, Rise of Empires is really quite a gift to humanity and history lovers alike.
Thanks for actually doing something that makes me not question bothering to keep paying for you, Netflix. I, for one, am grateful.