Gladiator

Rating:
Summary: This movie bites, get X-MEN
Review: Honestly, it surpasses this flick by FAR.

Rating:
Summary: Good movie, but the extras on DVD outshine the film
Review: Gladiator wants to be Ben-Hur, really. There's no denying that the costumes, sets, visual effects, and gore are spectacular, but that's where the glory ends. Russell Crowe is powerful and convincing in his role as Maximus, and Joaquin Phoenix is equally wonderful as the sniveling coward Commodus, but the talents of these men are nearly overshadowed by the film's incredible length.

Many of the scenes involve, of course, the gladiator contests, and it is in these that we see Maximus' power as both a survivor and superior fighter. But in all honesty, about an hour into the movie, you feel as though you've been watching it much longer. The film moves slowly and never seems to gain any real momentum. You can fall asleep at many points in the movie, wake up, and be completely caught up in a few minutes, as I did. The slaughter of Maximus' family doesn't quite pull at your heart like I think the director wanted it to. I found myself more annoyed that Maximus wouldn't assume the power that Marcus was bequeathing him.

That said, the extra DVD that accompanies the film is wonderful! There are interviews, behind-the-scenes trivia, and a section of clips that ended up on the cutting room floor. I really enjoyed watching the short segment on the costumes and special makeup required for the battle scenes. The extra DVD has all sorts of goodies that are a DVD-owners dream! If you're a big fan of the film and you own a DVD player, then this will be a great addition to your collection.

The film is certainly worth seeing at least once for all of the special effects and Russell Crowe's amazing acting skills!

Rating:
Summary: Too much of everything...
Review: The effects maybe great but I couldn't stand watching all that voilence. I know it's a true story but they could have avoided showing all those heads coming off. It's a waste of time to watch this movie.

If it was bad for Rome to have it's people enjoy those gladiators killing each other, it is equally bad for movies if one enjoys watching all that violence.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: This movie has many inaccuracies (see: movie-mistakes.com) and a weak plot, definately no epic or contender for older 'sword and sandal' films. This one has it's moments, some good dialogue, the battle scenes are very engaging, but do not show what is actually happening in them, though I'm sure people who worked on the film know. I can't believe so many people like this movie. It is too long and boring. Watch TLC and A&E instead.

Rating:
Summary: This is no Braveheart.
Review: This was an entertaining movie but during the gladiator battles it was like watching the Blair Witch Project...very dizzing. The camera would swing back and forth making it impossible to see what was going on. The story was good and cast of characters were put together well. But I cant help but think the makers of this film were trying to give the viewer the same feel and intensity as Braveheart, which to me will go down as the best epic movie ever. This film is good, but it is no Braveheart.

Rating:
Summary: Better visual effect not means better story-telling
Review: Looking at the sheer no. of reviews generated by this movies indicated that the movie is popular, at least in the commercial sense. I always suspect everyone talks about this movie just because there has been no such kind of movie released for a long time. But it actually reminds me of "Spartucus" played by Kirk Douglas 40 (wow!) years ago.

Same as Spartucus, Maximus represents the figure (or was he a hero?) struggling against the established regime. The story portrays Maximus (played by Russel Crowe) as a tragic person rather than a hero. As a noble general (he has a closed relationship to Ceasar and an affection of Caesar's daughter Lucilla), Maximus lacks the same charisma as Spartucus, though he may be fiercer. He can fight and win battle after battle. But fate determines that he is the enemy to the heir of the dying Caesar, Emperor Commondus (played by Jaoquin Phoenix).

The movie does convey the good and evil between the two persons vividly, not unlike Ridley Scott's prior movies (Aliens). But then again, this is somewhat simplistic in Scott's world: there is only two sides, good and evil, and the good will always win the eternal battle against the bad in the end. Not many would agree this in summation.

In the 60's, a movie like this would be called "epic", "grand". Nowadays, everybody knows everything "grand" in the movie is digital: the Germania battle, the Arena, the people..... You won't really get the feeling that you were there. You are just watching a movie, if not a cartoon.

Gladiator is not a bad movie, but certainly not one of the best. You know this movie lacks something. It is sometimes superficial, sometimes intrigued. You have a mixed feeling and you are not sure whether you like it or not. To the Lisa Gerrard's fan, the soundtrack may be a consolation. To the Scott's fan, they may look the "Aliens" again because Emperor Commondus is no Alien.

Rating:
Summary: Where's the Plot?
Review: After hearing all the hype about Gladiator, I was dissappointed to see it for myself ( DVD version ). I was told that the fight scenes were good, and they were, but the rest of the movie is just filler. There is almost no plot whatsoever, and what little there is is so incredibly predictable it's almost sad. The best part of the 2 disc DVD set is the real history of the gladitorial games on the second disc. Give this one a miss.

Rating:
Summary: Great Film!! Fully Loaded DVD!!
Review: This DVD has to be one of the greatest buys out there. It is so loaded with extras that it has a second disk for the special features. It is loaded with trailers, 11 scenes cut from the movie, interviews with Ridley Scott and Hans Zimmer, behind the scenes features, and much much more. The DVD is way above average when it comes to features. It is also equipped with Dolby Digital sound that can turn any home entertainment system into your personal movie theater.

The movie is great! Russell Crowe gives a stellar performance. The movie is action packed and full of graphic fighting scenes. It's funny to see some of the trailers on the DVD, because they try to make this movie out to be some kind of sappy love story. This movie is about love, but the love that the trailers are refering to. The love in this movie is Maximus' love for the old emporer and for his family. It isn't sappy at all. The violence in the movie is extremely graphic, but the story line is terrific and it is wonderfully done with terrific acting and a great musical score by Hans Zimmer. If you don't have this DVD, I highly recommend you get it. It is well worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: A modern epic that's sure to become a classic
Review: GLADIATOR is the best movie I have ever seen. It is grand in scale, with an excellent cast and plot. General Maximus Decimus Meridius was a loyal servant to Emperor Marcus Aurelius (played wonderfully by Richard Harris). Upon the emperor's death, Maximus is betrayed by Rome. He then must become a gladiator to win his freedom. His quest for freedom will make for a great film.

This film has grand special effects that transport us back to Ancient Rome. We are able to see the splendour, the atrocity, and moral decay that was Rome. We look past this, as we see a great man's struggle for freedom and justice. This struggle is the main point of this masterpiece. If you like violence, fighting, or period pieces you will love GLADIATOR. Buy this epic today.

Rating:
Summary: Elysian
Review: If every DVD included the extras that this version of Gladiator contains, there would be at least one DVD player in every American household within 6 months. It's beautiful to see a package that puts it all together.

As for the movie: There are a lot of flaws, but the upside is too far up to rate it lower than 5 stars. The main flaws are in the script, which includes far too many canned soliloquys and too much informational dialogue. Other problems crop up in the area of logistics (for instance, how did his hands get untied? isn't it illegal for a Roman citizen to be enslaved? etc.)

But the numerous strokes of genius far outweigh these problems. For one thing, the movie utilizes "scenes from the collective consciousness" to great effect and give the movie a sense of dignified closure that I've never seen elsewhere. Stunning. Honest, my favorite scene in the movie is the brief opening shot of Maximus with his hand running through the wheat. Beautiful idea. The use of such visual tokens keep the emotional tension in the movie going until its perfect release at the end.

Also very notable were the performances of Crowe & Phoenix. Crowe's facial expressions told more than most of the dialogue in the movie combined. Phoenix was incredible as a tormented, unloved, and even pitiable tyrant -- he was perfect in this role.