Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Gladiator is a fine film, even for those not who are not action movie buffs. There is plenty of gory action, but (dare I say) it is "tastefully" handled -- Scott doesn't drench the screen in blood and guts and body parts, though he does enough to convey the nature of war in the day.Where Gladiator falls short is in shortcutting some important elements of the story. While the characters are detailed, there isn't much depth. Detailed exploration of personality is sacrificed to keep the narrative rolling along at all too swift pace. And the transitions are swift. But I am not complaining too much. It is an enjoyable movie but not an inspiring one.
Rating: 
Summary: Uninvolving, Overlong, Lacks cohesive plot structure
Review: "Gladiator" the much hyped, Oscar nominated flick was ninety five percent lame in this reviewer's opinion. This seemingly endless film gets two stars only for the presence of the late great Oliver Reed (who has played much better roles), and decent costumes and fighting sequences. Gladiator tries to be a Ben-Hur or a Spartacus but instead succeeds in being only boring and laughable. Comodorus's character was particularly inane, and it is impossible to believe that all those soldiers couldn't bring down Maximus-great soldier or not. The film's plot, if you can call it that, is totally uninvolving. I found myself completely uninterested in the plight of Maximus, and the killing of Maximus's son and wife was just predictable and lame. I kept checking my watch to see how many more interminable minutes were left. Avoid at all costs, if entertainment is your aim. If you enjoy plotless films with lots of fighting and strange incest subplots by all means pick it up.
Rating: 
Summary: Maximus the merciful, the honorable, the great...
Review: Maybe not based completely on fact and with a touch of that Hollywood moviemaking, nevertheless, an astounding movie of great action, drama and heroism. Excellent scenery and music abound coupled with great acting and heart pounding fight scenes. I don't know if you could find another actor that could portray such an important role as Russel Crowe did. He did a very admirable job as did Richard Harris as a solid gold emporer. It was quite wise for the producers of the DVD to add all the extras on the second DVD in this package because it absolutely merited it. There isn't really anything disparaging you can say about this great and wondrous movie and it delivers again and again and again. Well worth viewing over and over.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest War Movie of all Time
Review: What can I say? If you havent' seen this you ar missing out. Great story from begging to end and the soundtrack is beautifully orchrestrated by Hans Zimmer. Tons of blood guts and gore. Crow is a Badass in this movie. IF you liked "BraveHeart" or the "Patriot" you will enjoy Gladiator. "On My Single Unleash Hell"
Rating:
Summary: Ende!
Review: Goodbye, to another hard hit-negative review. Here is the revision of a review written months ago. Gladiator is a delivery of a story told in the form of many movies, but not in character. Maximus is a man troubled with loves past and desires nothing but to go home once the barbarians are destroyed. Before granting his wish the Emporer asks him to take rule of Rome, Leaving his own son without a throne. Joaquin Pheonix plays a terrific sadistic maniac that would do anything to claim the throne, even kill his own father. What starts out as a terrific victory, Gladiator follows Maximus' decent from the heights of high protector of Rome, to a slave in chains. Gladiator was the #1 movie of 2000 at the box office, which shows that many people were drawn to the story. Many viewings later on my own dvd, I say it is a good movie. Catch the scene when Maximus prays to God. We need more scenes of humility like that in todays cinema.
Rating:
Summary: Gladiator a good movie, but not historically acurate.
Review: Gladiator is a good movie (although not as great as some would have you believe), and I highly recommend it. However, I take issue with the idea that it is at all historically accurate. In reference to Trevor Cook's review (see below), there is little actual history in this movie. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor who died in the beginning of the movie, did not die at the hands of his son, Commodus. Rather, he caught a dangerous infection (possibly plague) and died at his camp at Vindobona (Vienna). And the Emperor had named his son Commodus his heir several years before that. It is not known if Commodus went mad. However, he was known for his cruelty and he did fall victim to his physical vices. He often appeared in staged lion and tiger hunts in the Coliseum, where he liked to call himself Hercules. Because he enraged many of Rome's senators, they tried to assassinate him with the help of his sister, Lucilla. But the plot failed. Commodus naturally became paranoid and therefore launched a campaign of terror against his enemies. Eventually, an assassination attempt against him was successful, and he was strangled in his bath (and not, as the reviewer below would have you believe, in battle as a gladiator). So, while Gladiator is a good movie and I have nothing against it, do not mistake it for history. It is a fictional account based on historical people. Nothing more and nothing less.
Rating:
Summary: Reason I bought my DVD player
Review: I bought my DVD player just to get this film!! Great film. I write this, for the 2cd time, after the Oscar nominations. This was the box office hit Russell needed. Great extras in the package. One thing I did not like about the film was the relationship between the brother & sister. That was not needed!
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal Picture
Review: Gladiator, the film with a leading 12 Oscar nominations for the 2001 Academy Awards, is the first film in quite a while to return to the epics of the past. Reminiscent of Spartacus and Ben Hur, Ridley Scott's masterful direction transports you back to the peak of the Roman empire. This film is certainly well deserving of all the recognition it has received thus far. On a side note, the musical score, which won a Golden Globe Award, is truly magnificent as well.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Awesome What more can be said! This is not only a great movie but the additional scenes add filler to gaps that left some fans wondering. BUY this immeditely, and is a great addtion to any DVD collection
Rating: 
Summary: with all my heart, no...
Review: there are many pluses to this 2-disk set. the entire second disk is full of extras, like behind the scenes featurettes, the making of, etc. the sound is crisp as is the movie. i absolutely agree that the recreation of the Coliseum is very impressive and Ridley Scott, as he's done so often, conveys a seemless sense of style and scale. the battle sequence with the volleys of fire arrows was exceptional. i agree with some of the other reviewers that if this were strictly an action flick, i would probably rate it five stars but with the stigma of a picture of the year, i find it overrated; the story is a bit abreviated and disjointed. perhaps it's nitpicking but there is a real lack of motivation in the Russell Crowe's character: why does he fight? in fact, there is more compelling reason for him NOT to go on. 'I will always serve Rome' -- well, not really. we're not given any vision of Rome except maybe for Marcus' but that was to give Rome back to the people. well, wasn't Commodus on his way to getting the mob to come around with the games? it is really unclear how badly Commodus would have ruled (there is no benchmark left by Marcus to judge) except for that one insensitive remark about the Greek quarters and that he brought back the games (ok, regicide/patricide is bad). wasn't Marcus worse by his conquests of 'barbarians' and taking over them?! Rome is the light? maybe but i'm sure the 'barbarians' would disagree. only the victors write histories. 'Let me go home' -- even more reason for him not to fight. staying alive meant being apart from his family. there is no home for him among the living. sure, revenge is an issue but was that a realistic thought in the beginning? for me what kept him alive was his loyality to Marcus and his need to be able to return home. both were taken early on. he decision not to fight initially as a slave was consistent; the crowd doesn't even motivate him (killing everyone in record time and screaming 'Is this what you want?!' and throwing the sword away in disgust.) finally, the duel at the end was trite... Maximus winning despite being injured and drugged. i have a lot of problem with this, as the feeling throughout the movie was that he will never lose a fight and therefore there was no suspense or expectation. Maximus was barely hit by Commodus despite the fact that early on we see Commodus training and being quite good. (a better executed duel was the way Rob Roy ended -- it was in doubt and he won only in a desparate manner). i don't hate this film; it is a good movie but just not exceptional. the extras on the disks and the cinemtagraphy makes it worthwhile but i couldn't seriously give this five stars.
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