Gladiator

Rating:
Summary: A Good Movie
Review: I wanted to see Russell Crowe in his other movies after seeing him doing such an AMAZING job in "A Beautiful Mind". Joaquin Phoenix did a AWESOME job as a manipulative, deceiving, sickening jerk. The special effects and the sets was pretty amazing too.

Russell Crowe did a good job too. The scene where he found his son and wife crucified and burnt just broke my heart. It seemed to me that the character of "Maximus" was stoic(sp?) most of the time. The only thing that disappointed me was the ending. I could've lived without the ending. It was also difficult to find a plot. I'm NOT bashing the movie at all!!! Like I said, I think I need to watch it more than once. The more I watch it, the more I like it.

The DVD features are cool. I like to watch the montage of unused scenes with the beautiful music playing in the background and the "Making of" featurette.

Speaking of the music, the music in this movie is so beautiful and haunting.

Overall, it's entertaining. I DO recommend it!!

Rating:
Summary: Poor plot/script but the acting/special effects stank
Review: It is most sad that so many people wasted their time on such a vapid film. They tried very hard to make it seem "deep" through the use of dream imagery and excessive computer whizzery. It was impossible to ignore the phonyness, particulary in the coliseum battles with tigers and the giant in the gold mask. It was way too obvious that extreme closeups, swirling camera movement, and overly zealous Foley(sound) effects were intended to disguise the truth, which was that nothing real was happening.

As for Russell Crowe, I am still waiting to find out whether he can act. In this film, his mutterings tapped into all the emotions he could express from A to B. Perhaps with a script, he might do better. Maybe when I see "A Beautiful Mind", I'll find out.

I have always been a fan of action films, but this one, alas, was so contrived and obvious in it's use of two-bit trickery that no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to believe in.

If an audience doesn't require more than this film delivers, then how long will it be before movie-goers just salivate and shout their approval just because a film was overhyped to the maximum extent possible. Has anyone ever heard the story of "The King's New Clothes"?

Rating:
Summary: There's more to this DVD than the movie, you know...
Review: Yikes! With over 1200 customer reviews about 'Gladiator' (as of this writing) posted, I think I'll hold off on reviewing the movie proper. I seriously doubt that anything I'll say about it will sound any different from what many of the others have written, so I'll let my fellow Amazonians try to wow you with their insights on how good, bad, or indifferent this flick is. Instead, I'm going to review something that most folks have neglected to mention in their prose critiques: the DVD extra features! And off we go...

Being the high-tech, big-budget box-office champion that it is, one would naturally assume that 'Gladiator' would have a pretty wide array of bonus materials. And sure enough, that is indeed the case. In fact, there're so many extras, the studio devoted an entire second platter to 'em. But first, let's start off with the feature-length commentary. Director Ridley Scott and a few of his filmmaking cohorts go into the details of how each particular scene was devised and filmed, how they tried to make the movie historically accurate in some ways, and other things regarding the making of this film. Throw in a few amusing anecdotes here and there, and you have pretty much your basic commentary track that doesn't particularly stand out from others I've listened to before.

Okay, now we can get on to the bonus disc. There's the obligatory teasers/trailers/TV spots section, as well as a half-hour behind-the-scenes doc where you see the director and principal actors get a bit too involved and in describing their roles, and taking things a bit too seriously. I mean, I like the movie and all, but sheesh-lighten up a little, guys! Also thrown in is an hour-long documentary that goes over the history of the original Roman gladitorial contests, which I found both entertaining and informative. True, it was likely included as an attempt to appease the more nitpicky moviegoers who demand historical accuracy, but I liked watching it none the less.

Then there's the gallery of deleted scenes, all of which include commentary from the director. After seeing these bits of trimmed footage, I thought it was a shame that Mr. Scott didn't see fit to restore them to the movie... oh well. There's also the interview with composer Hans Zimmer regarding the scoring of the film which I found less than exciting. I like the movie's soundtrack tunes and all, but it doesn't exactly make for a compelling interview.

Also thrown in to fill out the package are several storyboards and behind-the-scenes photos. You know, a little something for the cinema uber-mavens to drool over. Personally, I would've preferred a blooper reel, but that's me...

'Late

Rating:
Summary: The Ending Needed Work
Review: It was way too long of a movie to have such a stupid ending. One minute, he was going to get his army, the next, he was fighting the emporer in hand to hand combat. I didn't get it. It was like they ran out of money and couldn't pay the army, so they had to slap together a quick ending. And Russell Crowe's acting? Please. He plays every single role the same: the self-proclaimed inner hero, but with a hard outer shell. So now all of a sudden he's this artist? I personally enjoyed the death scene: picking up his head, gasping, then falling down. My ten-year-old sister could do better then that.

Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Film
Review: If you are looking for an epic film with a great actor, beautiful direction and gorgeous cinematography, this movie by Ridley Scott is for you. Russell Crowe's performance is worthy of the Oscar he received as the honorable general Maximus, who is betrayed by the scheming and evil, Commodus, son of the dead emperor of Rome, played perfectly by Joaquin Phoenix. Scott takes us from the low point of Maximus' existence in slavery and shows us how he battles his way back to confront the man who took his family and life away from him. Through honor, his strength brings him the respect of the citizens of Rome, who eagerly watch the bloody sport in which he is forced to participate. Connie Nielson is also good as the sister of Commodus, and former love of Maximus, who has to deal with the incestuous advances of her brother and his maniacal treatment of the citizens of Rome. This 2 disc dvd contains the movie as well as lots of interesting extras such as "The Making of Gladiator for HBO" and tons of deleted scenes. I highly recommend this dvd to anyone who loves movies.

Rating:
Summary: wow!
Review: i loved this movie. i wasn't sure how much i'd like it because i'm not much into violence and the roman era, but i was definitely surpised.

russel crowe is wonderful, and so is joaquin phoenix.

i definitely recommend this movie to everyone, even if you're not - like me - a fan of action movies or period pieces.

Rating:
Summary: can't get tired of this movie
Review: I was unsure about seeing gladiator in the theateres when it came out but one of my friends convinced me to go with him. I was not disappointed. Gladiator really shows how well Ridley Scott can direct and how well Russell Crowe can act. It's really easy to feel attached to the lift of this gladiator and what he has to go through after becoming a slave.

Rating:
Summary: Connie Nielsen rules !
Review: Of GLADIATOR it suffices to say that it is magnificient and a wonderful return to grand cinema making of olden days. Of Connie Nielsen, however, it must be said and emphasized that she is the true gem of the film. Understated acting and a finely drawn female character whose dilemma is truly touching and engaging. Nielsen is the perfect choice for the role. Gorgeous and so far from the assembly line beauty of American female talent. Nielsen is totally stunning. Shame on the Academy for bypassing this superb performance, this unique artist.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent revival of the epic genre
Review: Gone are the days of massive budgets, casts of thousands, overwhelming scenery, and huge scale. Lawrence, Ben-Hur, Zhivago,Kwai and other epics have been replaced by teenage hormonal studies, endless sequels, lousy scripts and "bankable star power". Amid the debris comes Gladiator, which like Braveheart, manages to tell an epic, compelling story with excellent performances, an intelligent and uplifting script, taut direction and the advantages of modern computer effects. Net effect- the epic is alive again, but with more sophistication. The most fascinating aspect is the performance of Russell Crowe, a true craftsman whose nuanced characterization of Maximus is so layered and diverse that he compels attention in his every scene. Many viewers, alas, may think Crowe is simply playing a heroic, strong character in the mode of earlier Hollywood icons. To realize what he does, think of Crowe in Insider, Beautiful Mind and other roles and ask what is he doing differently in this part? Maximus could be a simple creature of macho conquest and revenge, ala Arnold, Sly, Willis and others in familiar parts.Instead, he is at once restrained, coiled,furious,repressed,obsessed,crafty,charismatic,wounded, determined,naive,fatalistic,brilliant,strategic,devoted,patriotic,principled,humble,conflicted,honorable,cynical,romantic,restrained,tragic,redeemed,complex and ultimately human and recognizable.If one watches Crowe combine all these and many other aspects of the character,with an economy of words,gestures and motions,(and the most effective use of eyes in years)one senses that this meticulous actor is not only a dedicated craftsman, but has a special genius.This film, particularly the acting, direction and staging, may seem simple and familiar, but that is a tribute to the artistry. Gladiator merits watching more than once to appreciate its value and stature.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating what computer graphics can do these days ...
Review: What fascinates me about this film was the heavy use of computer graphics in the making of the film, including the stunning remaking of the Colosseum. Believe me, <Titanic> has met its match.

Unlike <Titanic> however, this film is actually blessed with good performance, a decent script, and a fair amount of historical research. In fact, the second DVD is mainly a documentary about the role of gladitorial combat in Roman society in those days, which I heartily to classical history teachers.