Gladiator

Rating:
Summary: ALL HAIL GLADIATOR!!
Review: For the most part, I think that 2000 has been a pretty bad year for cinema. Sure, you have had some real surprises (meet the parents, the grinch and x-men), but none of them have even come close to matching Gladiator!! Director Ridley Scott pulls out all the stops-the film has it all!! Great performances, a top notch score and fantastic production design The DVD has it all too It covers just about every aspect of the film. Highlights for me include the commentary track, "the actor diary" and the deleted scences. To sum up Gladiator is a true Hollywood epic in every sense of the word!1

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Summary: Makes you want to follow the General!
Review: One of the best movies I've seen. Pre-odered the DVD the same day it was out. My parents even liked it which says a lot.

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Summary: The Best of Ancient Rome
Review: I was expecting this movie to be pretty bad. But when I started watching it... I was captivated! Ridley Scott pulled it off once again. Russell Crowe does a terrific job as Maximus, a general who will not give his loyalty to the enw emperor...Commodus. I really enjoyed this movie and the extra scenes available only on the DVD version. Ancient Rome has never been portrayed this well before. This definitely deserves five stars...and I highly recommend the DVD version..it just helps you experience the plot a whole lot better.

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Summary: RUSSEL CROWE LEADS CAST IN WINNING ROMAN ACTION ADVENTURE
Review: Russel Crowe is the crucial element in GLADIATOR. In earlier movies, he played the complex, overweight Jeffrey Wigand in "The Insider" (best actor Oscar nomination) and the tough cop in "L.A. Confidential." But in GLADIATOR, he's muscular General Maximus, the favorite of aged Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). The Emperor wants Maximus to be his successor for restoring Rome to her former glory as a republic. Maximus would rather go home to his wife and son.

The Emperor's deviant and demonically jealous son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), seizes power. He slaughters Maximus' family and orders him murdered. But our hero escapes and winds up a slave bought by Proximo (the late Oliver Reed) and is trained to be a gladiator (along with "Amistad's" Djimon Hounsou). GLADIATOR is its own movie, due to Crowe's sensational portrayal.

This movie proves that, paraphrasing Julius Cesar, we still like our bread and circuses. This is true especially when as in GLADIATOR it comes complete with an uplifting theme.

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Summary: Hollywood,start reading history and fire the sound editor.
Review: After much Hollywood hoopla in the media I decided to see this movie and I was disappointed at the typical way Hollywood drops the ball. Now if I spent a few million bucks on making a movie I would check some facts like,the Romans did not speak Italian, Latin was the spoken language and did anyone catch the sound byte at the start of the film, the big battle the inhabitants of Germainia war chant was taken right from the movie Zulu with Michael Caine.Now what was wrong with the'German'actors chanting for themselves,what not enough SAG cards to go around.

Now the rest of the movie was well worth watching but I would not buy it on DVD or VHS it is barely is rentable,a real shame too because there is some excellent acting, notable was Oliver Reed.

Better luck next time Hollywood.

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Summary: Ridley Scott Please recut it with extra footage!
Review: I just saw the Gladiator movie on DVD. It was awesome. The extra footage was footage that I think should have been left in the original score. Especially the Lions Den and the Praetorian execution scene. I know that Hollywood Execs think that we viewers have short attention spans but this masterpiece of a movie would be even greater with the deleted scenes put back into the movie. This movie is excellent, a good buy for anyone who desires to be on an emotional roller coaster ride.

Jason

Rating:
Summary: Hypus Maximus
Review: A blockbuster or epic? Perhaps because of its action and violence this picture appeals to the young theatre demographic. There is a lesson somewhere within the story...amidst sword stabs and flying severed heads...that power invested in one is never judiciously applied...or, maybe the lesson was "run like heck" if a tiger chases you.

This DVD features a whole platter of additional features enhancing this reasonably entertaining film. Just okay.

Rating:
Summary: 2001 Best Picture and 10 other Oscars
Review: Simply the best picture of 2000 and perhaps for years. This is an instant classic... Russell Crowe sits with the greats like Kirk Douglas and Charlton Heston. Get this DVD... even better get Ben Hur and Spartacus and have a Roman Marathon.

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Summary: Tiresome; It's a long way from Blade Runner
Review: The movie formula is well known: hero taken from his place, his family mutilated, his land destroyed, he is flung into misery, he vows revenge, he endures several trials, he is the best warrior with incredible constitution, he fights back to the top, he wins the crowd, he is betrayed in his chance for an easy victory, he, nonetheless, overcomes the setback and kills the evil nemesis and saves the dignity of his people. Most obviously, this is Braveheart, but it is as well numorous other recent films, including borrowing the bizarre spirituality of Messanger. Did I mention that the movie was set in a dark, miserable time?

Besides the tiring plot, the pretentious, silly, third person dialogue and myriad accents nearly draw laughter. Third person works for Shakespeare, particularly when the production doesn't try to produce accents. In this film, we have New York, Australian, California, English and Nordic accents. It is painful -- particularly in light of the fact that most of these areas were not known to the Roman empire.

Still, the visuals are Scottian. And, that we expect from his great films and commercials. Still, it is not enough to remove this movie from its misery.

Perhaps most troubling is the disclaimer at the end of the film stating to the effect that great care was taken to protect animals from harm. It does not, however, say that no animals were in fact harmed. That is truly sad considering that this film is no leap forward in art and that Tigers and Giraffes have their own problems in the wild. The horse scenes were brutal and, I suspect, it would be difficult to train any of these animals without some degree of abuse.

Come to think of it, this movie is shameful and reprehensible.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular Roman Saga
Review: To begin with GLADIATOR directed by Ridley Scott adds yet another epic great to an already imressive rusume of hit movies from "THELMA & LOUISE", ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER, LEGEND, 1492 etc ... and so too with Gladiator does Scott & Co. involved triumphantly deliver the moviegoer the good's transporting us successfully to the first grand (sand,sandal & toga) tale for over some thirty years. Forced into slavery by the corrupt and incestous heir to the throne, Roman General Maximus (Crowe)becomes a gladiator. His prowess in the arena will eventually lead him to Rome, the Colosseum and a vengeful showdown with the new emperor (Phoenix). A captivating cinema going experience with first-rate acting performances by all cast, superbly suited each to their respective parts Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Derek Jacobi, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris & of course Russell Crowe the star of the show brings total believability to his title role. A slick big-budget hollywood extravaganza at it's very best filled in with glorius cinematography and effects work, stirring musical score and effective screenplay populated with acting pool talent ensemble and in my opinion Ridley Scott's latest and best directorial effort to date. GLADIATOR is epic movie story-telling brought thrillingly into the 21st century by a film-master. Plays well on video but doesn't compare to seeing it on the big-screen. A MUST SEE !