Best tv shows like Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A thirteen hour series which focuses on the Germanic, Britannic and other barbarian tribal wars with Rome which ultimately led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. This series is centered on the campaigns and battles with the barbarian tribes and extensive examinations of the reigns of little known Roman emperors and generals. The significance and structures of key barbarian tribes and the roles their leaders played are explored in detail. Territorial changes to the Roman Empire caused by unrelenting wars, plagues, mass starvation's and power struggles are presented in chronological historical context with extensive re-enactments. This series examines how the continuous wars with the barbarians and depletion of resources became a core cause of the Roman Empire's decline and eventual collapse.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 842
Genere: Documentary, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: epic, exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, educational, historical drama
Best tv shows and movies like Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire (2008):
Similar in 77%
Julius Caesar (1979)
Plot Summary:
The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for Brutus and the republic.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 161 min
Plot tags:
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Porus (2017)
Plot Summary:
The story of Indian warrior Porus and his life especially the Battle of the Hydaspes with the Great Alexander.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 722
Genere: History, War
Country: India
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, serious, heroic, realistic, stylized
Similar in 83%
Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020)
Plot Summary:
Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II wages an epic campaign to take the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and shapes the course of history for centuries.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Documentary, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: epic, costume drama, historical drama
Similar in 75%
Decline of an Empire (2014)
Plot Summary:
The life of Katherine of Alexandria. Constantine joins the Roman army to find his missing childhood friend. Once alerted to his friend's whereabouts, he prepares for an all out war between the East and the West. Contains the last film role of Peter O'Toole, who died before the film was released.
IMDB Rating: 3.3
IMDB Votes: 484
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, disturbing, suspenseful, weird
Similar in 77%
New Worlds (2014)
Plot Summary:
The 1680s bring a new king, Restoration and more tyranny. In Massachusetts, a robber's son falls for an anti-monarchist. In England, young lady falls for an outlaw.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, emotional, realistic, tense, psychological, costume drama, historical drama, serious, stylized, period drama
Similar in 76%
The World Wars (2014)
Plot Summary:
The World Wars tells the story of three decades of war told through the eyes of various men who were its key players: Roosevelt, Hitler, Patton, Mussolini, Churchill, Tojo, DeGaulle and MacArthur. The documentary examines the two wars as one contiguous timeline starting in 1914 and concluding in 1945 with these unique individuals coming of age in World War I before ultimately calling the shots in World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Documentary, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 270 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 83%
Marco Polo (1982)
Plot Summary:
The life and experiences of the 13th-century explorer, who sought to connect the civilizations of China and Europe through trade.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Italy, USA, Japan, China
Duration: 504 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, historical drama, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized
Similar in 85%
The Dacians (1966)
Plot Summary:
The great King of Dacia, Decebal (Decebalus), is disposed to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to keep the integrity of his people. His own son, Cotyso, is given to the god Zamolxis to the dismay of the King and his daughter Meda. Septimius Severus a young roman devoted to his adopted country, must make the choose between his blood origins and the culture he was raised to.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Romania, France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
Constantine and the Cross (1961)
Plot Summary:
Constantin is fighting against Barbarians with his father when he is called to Rome. In his way to Rome, he falls in an ambush planned by Maxence, who wants to become emperor.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 550
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Italy, Yugoslavia
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, realistic, saga, christian film, independent film
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By the Will of Chingis Khan (2009)
Plot Summary:
Three childhood friends. Three sworn brothers. One was initiated into the sacrament and grew up to be a great shaman. The other two followed the path of war and the nation recognised them as leaders. But only one of them was to become the ruler of the entire steppe. He was chosen by the Eternal Blue Sky and the Sky itself put him on a trial. Love for a woman will make him a warrior. Allegiance to the law will lead him to fratricide. Striving for peace will force him to start war. The council of nine tribes, speaking nine tongues, proclaimed him the sovereign and gave him the name of an ancient deity - Genghis Kahn.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 475
Genere: History, War
Country: Mongolia, Russia, USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, stylized, thought provoking, captivating, rough, epic
Similar in 87%
Julius Caesar (2002)
Plot Summary:
Twenty year-old Julius Caesar flees Rome for his life during the reign of Sulla but through skill and ambition rises four decades later to become Rome's supreme dictator.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Netherlands, Italy, Germany, USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, captivating, stylized, historical drama, realistic
Similar in 86%
The Antagonists (1981)
Plot Summary:
After the destruction of the Second Temple, 900 Jewish zealots hold out against a 5000 man Roman legion on the mountaintop fortress of Masada.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 394 min
Plot tags: captivating, exciting, tense, serious, biblical, political thriller, mythical, realistic, epic
Similar in 78%
Boudica (2003)
Plot Summary:
The Celtic queen who shook the Roman Empire. Boudica is one of history’s first and fiercest women warriors. Sickened by ceaseless war, the king of the Iceni accepts a treaty with the Romans in exchange for his tribe’s continued independence. But oppressively high taxes impoverish the tribe and soon the Romans want something more — slaves. Refusing to submit, the Romans, led by the greedy and psychotic Emperor Nero, move to crush the Iceni and control their lands. Drawing on the strength of her warriors, mystical druidic powers, and her own pain, Boudica unites the historically fractious tribes of Briton to unleash a stunning onslaught on the Roman colonial camps. The ferocity of Boudica’s attacks will shake the foundations of the Roman empire and make her a legend.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Romania
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, epic, realistic, rough, costume drama, serious, period drama
Similar in 79%
Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare (2006)
Plot Summary:
It is 200 years before the birth of Christ and Rome is the new superpower of the ancient world. She believes she is invincible - but one man is destined to change that. He is a man bound by oath to avenge the wrongs inflicted on his home and, in pursuit of revenge, he will stop at nothing. Hannibal explores the man behind the myth, revealing what drove the 26-year-old to mastermind one of the most audacious military moves in history. With 40,000 soldiers and 37 elephants, he marched 1,500 miles to challenge his enemies on their own soil. It was an act so daring that few people believed it possible.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, inspirational, historical drama, epic
Similar in 83%
Julius Caesar (1970)
Plot Summary:
All star cast heads up this 1970 remake of the William Shakespeare classic tale of the betrayal of the the Roman senate against their emperor, the plotting and scheming that led up to the assassination of the title charecter, and all of Romes' fickleness towards the events.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: epic, cult classic, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychotronic, independent film
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1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009)
Plot Summary:
October 14th, 1066 is the most famous date in English history. It is the year of TWO invasions of England, and in which three huge and bloody pitched battles were fought.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 859
Genere: Action, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, historical drama
Similar in 88%
Druids (2001)
Plot Summary:
In the year 60 B.C. a group of Druids, including the arch-druid Guttuart (Max von Sydow), witness the passing of a comet and interpret it as the sign of the coming of a king for their country Gaul, which has not had a king for a long time. Guttuart goes to Gergovia, the capital of the Arvenes tribe, to attend a meeting of Gallic tribal chieftains. The young boy Vercingetorix, along with his friend the young girl Eponia, sneak into a large cavern where Celtill, Vercingetorix's father and chieftain of the Arvenes, hosts the meeting of chieftains with the intention of proclaiming himself king of all Gauls. When Celtill shows off the crown once worn by the old kings of Gaul, an arrow from two Roman spies (dressed as Gauls) hits Celtill in the back.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, Belgium, Canada
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: rough, exciting, serious, epic, captivating, realistic
Similar in 78%
Barbarians Rising (2016)
Plot Summary:
Told from the perspective of the rebel leaders, the series chronicles a wave of rebellions against absolute power by those the Roman Empire called “barbarians” – tribes they viewed as beyond the fringe of civilization that lived a brutish and violent existence. But these also were men and women who launched epic struggles that shaped the world to come with a centuries-long fight to defeat the sprawling empire.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Documentary, Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, semi documentary
Similar in 88%
Cleopatra (1999)
Plot Summary:
Cleopatra, the famed Egyptian Queen born in 69 B.C., is shown to have been brought by Roman ruler Julius Caesar at age 18. Caesar becomes sexually obsessed by the 18 year old queen, beds her, and eventually has a son by her. However, his Roman followers and his wife are not pleased by the union. In fact, as Caesar has only a daughter by his wife, he had picked Octavian as his successor. The out-of-wedlock son of Cleopatra is seen to be a threat to his future leadership. Thus Brutus and other Roman legislators plot the assassination of Caesar. Caesar's loyal general, Marc Antony, and Octavian then divide up the Roman empire. Antony takes Egypt and soon takes up the affair with Cleopatra. However, Octavian soon launches an attack on Antony and ultimately defeats and mortally wounds him. Rather than permitting herself to be humiliated by Octavian, Cleopatra sends her son away to India and she commits suicide by permitting the deadly asp to bite her.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 177 min
Plot tags: historical drama, fairy tale, costume drama, epic, serious, captivating, stylized, period drama
Similar in 85%
Ben Hur (2010)
Plot Summary:
About the struggle between the Roman Empire and its rebellious conquest Judaea, and two best friends caught in a terrible moment in history.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: UK, Germany, Spain, Canada, USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, epic, captivating, historical drama, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Augustus: The First Emperor (2003)
Plot Summary:
Caesar Augustus tells of how he became the emperor to his reluctant daughter, Julia following the death of her husband Agrippa.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Austria
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, realistic, stylized, exciting, political, political thriller, costume drama, historical drama, crying
Similar in 88%
Empire (2005)
Plot Summary:
As Conqueror Julius Caesar is drawing his last breath, he swears Tyrannus—Rome's finest warrior—to an oath to protect his successor, Octavius, his 18-year-old nephew. Tyrannus and Octavius are forced into exile to protect the young man from those who want to sever Caesar's bloodline once and for all.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 360 min
Plot tags: epic, realistic, exciting, serious, historical drama
Similar in 76%
I, Claudius (1976)
Plot Summary:
Tracing the lives of several Roman emperors, this is an epic of ruthless ambition, shocking debauchery and murderous intrigue set in one of history's most fascinating eras. Bearing witness to the saga is Claudius, whose stutter and limp have marked him a fool - yet whom prophecies have foretold will one day rule Rome.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 669 min
Plot tags: costume drama, political thriller, historical drama, clever, epic, spiritual, political, controversial, mind blowing, dark comedy
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006)
Plot Summary:
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 2006 BBC One docudrama series, with each episode looking at a different key turning point in the history of the Roman Empire.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Documentary, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: captivating, epic, realistic, serious, historical drama, educational, mythical, period drama
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The Last Legion (2007)
Plot Summary:
As the Roman empire crumbles, young Romulus Augustus flees the city and embarks on a perilous voyage to Britain to track down a legion of supporters.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Action, Adventure, History, War
Country: UK, France, Bulgaria
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: epic, exciting, serious, stylized, arthurian, enigmatic, action adventure, psychotronic, costume drama, historical drama
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Attila (2001)
Plot Summary:
A romanced story of Attila the Hun, since his childhood, when he lost his parents until his death. Attila is disclosed as a great leader, strategist and lover and the movie shows his respect to the great Roman strategist Flavius Aetius, his loves and passions, the gossips, intrigues and betrayals in Rome, all of these feelings evolved by magic and mysticism.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: USA, Lithuania
Duration: 177 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, touching, epic, inspirational, historical drama, serious, realistic
Similar in 83%
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)
Plot Summary:
Before Spartacus struck down his first opponent in the arena, there were many gladiators who passed through the gates onto the sand.'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' tells the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus: Gannicus in a more ruthless time before Spartacus' arrival where honor was just finding its way into the arena.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 144000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 331 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, serious, realistic, stylized, rough, suspense, factual, sexy, tense
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Spartacus (2004)
Plot Summary:
Sentenced to spend out the rest of his adult life laboring in the harsh deserts of Egypt, the Thracian slave Spartacus gets a new lease on life when he is purchased by the obese owner of a Roman gladiator school. Moved by the defiance of an Ethiopian warrior, Draba, Spartacus leads a slave uprising which threatens Rome's status quo. As Spartacus gains sympathy within the Roman Senate, he also makes a powerful enemy in form of Marcus Lucinius Crassus, who makes it a matter of personal honor to crush the rebellion.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 174 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, atmospheric, tense, uplifting, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, emotional, rough
Similar in 79%
Rome (2005)
Plot Summary:
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 182000
Genere: Action, Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 1193 min
Plot tags: epic, exciting, historical drama, period piece, stylized, captivating, sexual, costume drama, erotic, dramatic
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Centurion (2010)
Plot Summary:
Britain, A.D. 117. Quintus Dias, the sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: brutal, intense, epic, stylized, suspense, scenic, factual, grindhouse, harsh, exciting