Gladiator Extended Edition– 5 stars (easily), or a 10 out of 10
Running time – about 2.5 hours
Director – Ridley Scott
Starring – Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix
Sex/Nudity – Some awkward scenes where a brother talks with his sister implying he wants to sleep with her
Language – 2 swear words… very minimal
Violence/gore – Lots of splashing blood, arena battles, war violence and the aftermath. The violence is a few steps up from Lord of the Rings, humans actually dying instead of ogres, and there is a little bit more blood.
If you liked this Flick check out Troy (w/Brad Pitt), King Arthur (w/Clive Owen), Kingdom of Heaven (w/Orlando Bloom - although I don't remember liking it much, maybe I should give it another try?),
I picked this movie last night to watch with my wife to wow her with an amazing film. I had forgotten just how astounding this movie is. We sat together in silent awe as we entered the world of the Coliseum, Caesar, and the most horrific and exciting entertainment the planet has ever seen. Gladiator is a brilliant film. It is a masterpiece in acting, plot, and also the cinematography.
The acting is superb. Everyone is so in character. There is never a moment when the viewer is taken out of the world of Gladiator because of poorly delivered lines, or bad accents, or anything like that. My only gripe is that Russell Crowe’s character Maximus is called a Spaniard, and yet at the time Spain as we know it was Hispania. Spain and Spanish and Spaniards, as far as I know, were not really around till hundreds of years later. But who cares really. The characters are believable, and viewers grow quite attached to them as the story progresses.
There is a good mix of political intrigue with family and personal struggles for freedom, power and love. These elements make Gladiator a triumph in scripting as well as in cinematic quality. Twists in the story keep the viewers wondering what is going to happen next. Without trying to give anything away there is tragedy, murder, plots of assassinations, a few light moments where you breathe for a minute before the plots again twists towards the tense and bloody end. No one can argue that this plot and script were not well developed and aptly carried out.
The Roman era is a time of beautiful architecture and wonderful luxury. Each and every shot displays the beauty of the Roman era. The costumes are beautiful, even the armor worn by the gladiators and soldiers is decorative and well designed. In the lion pits or in the palace of Caesar the images are beautiful. Deep blues and blacks and purples set a dark mood to the story, and the contrast with the dark armor of the warriors and the light golden sands in the pits make a stark contrast to add to the visual appeal to the film. There is not a single shot that is not beautiful in some way that one could see as a still frame hanging in an art gallery.
Gladiator is as close to a perfect film as you can get. The message of the film is hope in life after death, the importance of freedom, the value of a representative council. The film speaks on levels both spiritual and temporal. My wife was almost in tears at the end, because of the beauty of the film. If you are looking for a film that takes you on an emotional roller coaster, has some awesome actions scenes, and also blows your mind with its depth and beauty, then Gladiator is the movie for you!
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