Rating: 
Summary: Braveheart + Ben-hur
Review: Although "The Gladiator" is not quite as long as either classic movie, it has taken the best elements from both. Definitely worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Gladiator absolutely defines "must-own DVD".
Review: Folks, they don't come any grander or any better than Ridley Scott's epic, Gladiator. This is without a doubt the best DVD I own, not only because the movie itself is outstanding, but because it's more jam-packed with fascinating extras than any other DVD I've seen-- only Disney's collectibles come close.What you're getting here is a two-disc set, one containing the nearly three-hour film (in widescreen with Dolby 5.1 and DTS audio tracks, plus English subtitles), and the other containing numerous Gladiator extras. You'll get some outstanding deleted scenes that, unlike some other films, add quite a bit to the Gladiator experience. You'll get a full filming journal written by one of the movie's stars throughout the course of the filming of Gladiator. You'll get a number of "making-of" featurettes-- one for the movie itself, one for the creation of the music, and more. You'll also get some sub-features about the continent on which Gladiator was filmed and the history of the Roman empire. In short, there's enough extra material here to bust a couple of togas, and it's of extraordinary quality. And then there's the movie itself. A better film than Gladiator I have not seen since 1994, the year of Braveheart-- a movie to which Gladiator can and rightfully should be compared. Both are epic in scope, both center on one man's quest for vengeance at the dawning of a new era, both are beautifully directed.... and both films contain some of the most outstanding battle scenes ever shot. Gladiator's opening battle is perhaps the best I have ever seen. Yet I won't say that one film is better than the other; they complement each other. Suffice it to say that if you liked Braveheart, you will like Gladiator. And regardless of what you like, you must have this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: DON'T WATCH THIS ONE WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND
Review: Rousing fight scenes(watch out for those tigers);the story well let's say that it is adequate for this kind of epic movie.RUSSELL CROWE is ideally cast,what else can i guy want?Maybe a virtual collesium can convince you that this is actually ROME.I had a hard time to convince myself that JULIUS CAESAR was actually this guy who plays him.Somehow whenever JULIUS is on the scene,i was inclined to laugh.Remember the old saying:they don't make them like they used to do.Well, sometimes they do, but curiously we discover that we didn't missed them that much.If you invite your new girlfriend to watch this,i'm sorry for you, but you may not here from her again.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time or money!
Review: Before I could write this review, I had to view Gladiator a second time to be sure I was being fair to the movie. In all honesty, this is a slick production and the DVD was excellent. Unfortunately the story was so lame and the acting so weak that the best I could rate it was 2 stars, primarily for the quality of the picture and the extras. The characters are one-dimensional (which is not a pan on any of the actors, you can only perform what's written). The story is worse than weak, it is not believable. At least in Ben Hur, there is an explanation as to how the character becomes a galley slave and then later wins his freedom. In Gladiator, Rome's greatest general becomes a slave, then a gladiator who later fights in Rome and no one wonders what happened to him and why the transformation. If you want to view a great "Gladiator" DVD, check out Spartacus, it doesn't have nearly as much action but the story has some substance and the characters are much better acted. If you are interested in a period piece, I would suggest Ben Hur. I have only bought two DVDs without seeing the movie first. Gladiator is one of the two and I am now firmly convinced that I will never purchase another DVD without seeing it first. What a total waste of money and time.
Rating: 
Summary: We Who Are About to Snooze Salute You
Review: Thus the combatants would have spoken had the Games forced them not to engage in combat mortal but to a much more terrifying fate: to be forced to watch "Gladiator." At over two hours (it only seemed like six and a half), this landmark in cinematic ennui poses only one threat greater than having to watch it: having to watch it again. When Maximus' family is slaughtered in the first 35 minutes, you know that he's not going to be around at the closing credits. And the viewer's mood parallels Maximus' throughout the movie: there's agony and despair all along the way with doom at the payoff. The first twenty minutes of this film earn it its one star. The opening battle scenes are truly thrilling, but only serve to highlight the stupefyingly boring nature of the remaining two hours. If your aim is to overcome a massive case of insomnia, run to see "Gladiator." If entertainment is what you crave, run faster, but run away from this tedious turkey. Forget the Ides of March, beware any day this stink-bomb explodes on the screen. And, oh yes, by all means, Oscars all around for everyone connected with this gangrenous turkey.
Rating:
Summary: AN UNCONQUERED SOUL!
Review: This harsh, violent, yet redeeming account of the glories of ancient Rome and its spiraling plummeting fall is excellent. The "Caesar-Saga", and man's inhumanity to man during that era has been told innumerable times on film, but this production is one of the best. Russell Crowe's gladiator performance is powerful and his "after-death" reunion with his wife and child will touch the innermost core of your beingness. A fine superb cast illuminates this dark drama. Engrossing and taut! Reminiscient of "Spartacus". You will cheer the courage of this gladiator's "unconquered soul".
Rating:
Summary: piece of crap
Review: worst movie ever. why you may ask well lets think. first it had no historical content. if you can point out where a gladiator kills an emperor and make rome a republic i will give you a million dollars. second the acting was horible. none of the actors showed any of the characters emotions except for comodus. and third the effects were worse than the old godzilla movies(which werent that bad). i could make a better coloseum out of clay. well there ya go. gladiator is the worst movie in existance.
Rating:
Summary: Bleck!
Review: When I heard this film won best picture, I was shocked. Okay, maybe I wasn't. . .but I was appalled. This movie is NOT GOOD! There are some great actors in Gladiator. . .but what a waste of talent. The plot is so hackneyed and Hollywood, and call me female, but I don't find prisoners being hacked to bits entertaining. He's forced to be a Gladiator, so he decides to be the best darn gladiator there ever was. . .Yeah! Doesn't that fill your heart with a warm, rosy glow?? UH, NO!! And the emperor getting down there to fight with him. . .that was the last straw. . .even Caligula would've called that crazy. If we're cheering when people are being slaughtered, I don't see how we're any better than the ancient Romans. Sure, it's a movie, but to find it entertaining. . . .
Rating:
Summary: More blood than bravado
Review: All the awards this film garnered didn't quite make sense to me after viewing "Gladiator" on DVD on a recent overseas flight. The evil is banal, the hero is too stoic, and the special effects overwhelm the plot. Although Scott spent lots of money on exotic locations and spectacular stunts, a deft screenwriter would have been a welcome addition.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Lullaby
Review: Man, this is supposed to be a really good movie, so I had high hopes. These hopes were shot down about ten minutes into it. Not only is this film boring, but the sound effects drove me nuts. The music is way too loud, the voices are so soft and muddled that I couldn't even understand what was being said half the time. Lots of violence - if that is what supposed to make this film great, it doesn't do it for me. (A headless horseman, big deal.) Parts of it were very confusing and hard to follow. I still don't understand the poisonous snake scene. Maybe if I could have heard the dialogue over the background noise I'd have a better opinion of the movie. Part of the problem, I think, is that it's a guy film. Perhaps it's something a woman like me just can't appreciate. What WAS that snake doing there?
|
