Rating: 
Summary: BRUTAL!
Review: Many movies have attempted to capture the sheer horror of close combat; none can even compare to the shilling effects seen in "Gladiator."
Great storyline, great costumes, great actors, and great action! It is as though someone took a camera back in time and filmed the real thing.
This movie is sure to incite your thoughts and emotions!
4.5 Stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Maximus mediocritus. 3.5 stars.
Review: I like this movie, for an epic battle flick it is pretty good although it is a bit long and the battle scenes-though good-left me a bit cold. Everything battle-wise looks old-hat after Kenneth Branaugh's HENRY V and Gibson's BRAVEHEART. GLADIATOR is an enjoyable film with great acting (of course) by Crowe, who carries the film with his singularly massive screen presence. The supporting cast is good, but on occasion, unremarkable. I have seen the film three times and remember little about most of the characters. The locations are great and the script is good if forgettable. This probably should NOT have won best picture, but you already knew that. Even so, it remains one of the better films of the year. The DVD is packed and gets a five star rating. I don't know what else could have been added to it. The picture and sound quality are great though not to reference standards. The second disc is packed with material which you can read about if you so choose. If you are one of the three people on earth who have not seen this film give it a try. It never achieves its goals, but it aims high.
Rating:
Summary: Movie: 5/5, DVD: 4/5, Average: 4.5/5.
Review: GLADIATOR
2-DISC COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD THE MOVIE: Frankly you've never seen anything quite like GLADIATOR before. It's a great comeback for the swords 'n sandals epic genre and it mixes in love, drama, brilliant action and a few chills. The movie remains interesting throughout and is very stylishly done. The movie is also lovely in wide screen format. There are a couple of plausibility flaws but with such a big scale you can excuse them. Deserved winner of 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. THE SPECIAL FEATURES: Packed with stuff. On one disc there is the movie in wide screen format and on the second you've got all the special features. The Making of featurettes are a thoroughly entertaining treat and they answer all your "how did they do that?" questions. HBO's The Bloodsport of a Gladiator will interest those who are interested in gladiators and old times, personally for me I felt it was boring. From the Cutting Room Floor gives us 25 minutes of deleted scenes which are a delight. You can have them with or without Ridley Scott's commentary. If I were to change this I would've had Ridley Scott giving the commentary before the deleted scene and then showing it. He talks over what's happening and it's quite annoying because if you want to see the commentary you have to go back and forth if you also want to watch the scene. There's also a treasure chest with 7 minutes of unused footage put into a montage. Cool. There's also interviews with Hans Zimmer about scoring Gladiator, which show his compassion for his work and it's interesting to see. Spencer Treat Clark's production diary I couldn't be bothered reading entirely but in places it was pretty good. There are also a whole heap of photos, theatrical trailers and storyboards, plus cast and crew biographies. If only all of this were as entertaining as the movie it would've been a 5-star DVD. But I am unfortunately going to grade GLADIATOR down 1 star because a few of the features are very dull. Plus in some of the scenes the picture quality is BAD! But the sound effects and some very good special features make this worthy of your cash.
Rating: 
Summary: Lights, camera, and plenty of action!
Review: Director Ridley Scott brings the heat of the battle arena into your home with this action packed movie based on the fictitious life of a gladiator. The award-winning actor Russell Crowe plays the leading role in this movie as Maximus, a Roman general turned gladiator. With a 2 hour and 35 minute run time, this movie does not leave you wanting for adventure.
Maximus wants nothing more from life than to return to his family and take up farming again. A friend to the people of Rome, as well as the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, he is unable to return to the life he had previously led and due to his fame, and the jealousy of that fame, the antagonist Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) attempts to have him and his family killed. It is after the murder of his wife and son that Maximus vows to get his revenge. It is also at this point that the action intensifies making the movie the Award Winning picture that it became.
The intense, fast paced gladiator battles set the stage, while the emotional struggle of the players set the backdrop. Fear, honor, and vengeance all play leading roles in the outcome of this motion picture masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: An instant classic
Review: So far, I've never seen a more enthraling movie like "Gladiator." I saw it when it came out, and I bought it as soon as it came out on DVD.
The plot of "Gladiator" centers around Maximus (Russell Crowe), a decorated Roman general who wants only to go home, but the Emperor (Richard Harris) names Maximus his successor. His immoral son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) gets jealous, kills his own father, and orders Maximus executed. However, the good general escapes, only to be captured by slave traders and bred as a gladiator--a killing machine with a single purpose: to entertain the crowds of the Colosseum.
"Gladiator" is blessed with fine acting, photography, sets, and costumes--not to mention the bold score by the always fabulous Hans Zimmer. Director Ridley Scott knows how to entertain, as he keeps the action scenes exciting but not too gory. Even the slower parts are showered with tension, a true sign of a great drama. Simply put, everyone should see this movie. It's the best movie of 2000, and certainly worth of its five Oscars including Best Picture.
Rating:
Summary: Gladiator, why di this movie win Best Picture??????????
Review: Don't get me wrong, it was not a bad movie, but I think I disliked it more because it was awarded the Oscar for Best Piture when Traffic should really have won. People may say that was one of the worst movies that I every saw, but it was a real eye opener. Gladiator was noting but a movie with a lot of blood, guts, costumes, and cinimatography. It should have won however Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar, but hey not everything works out well. Russell Crowe however really did not diserve his Oscar, but who else was it to be given to. He di diserve it for A Beautiful Mind, but I don't believe after seeing A Beautiful Mind that it was worth Best Piture either. Ron Howard is a great directer but in my opinion it was not one of his best works. Gladiator was somewhat of a good movie, and you should see it, but once is enough. The acting is good, the scenery is breathtaking, but the film does not meet my standards for a Best Piture movie.
Rating:
Summary: Maximus Magnificent
Review: Tell me a story. In essence, that is all we as consumers of entertainment demand when we open a book or watch a movie. Yes, we may have our reservations (e.g., "I don't like the actor"..."This is not historically accurate"..."This plot has been presented thousands of times before"...), but in the end, ultimately, the triumphant success--or lack thereof--of any work is wholly dependent on its ability to tell a gripping, compelling story. Ridley Scott gives us a story in GLADIATOR. From the opening scenes in barbaric Germania, to the bowels of dusty dungeons in distant lands, to the eye-opening magnificence of the Roman Coliseum, to the wondrous luxury of the palace of Emperor Commodus, GLADIATOR tells a moving, thrilling, harrowing story of heroism and revenge. At the end of this film, when an avenged Maximus is finally able to join his murdered wife and son in the afterlife, I as a viewer experienced completion...the story had been told. Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris and company give exceptional performances. GLADIATOR is an epic. An epic story.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Movie
Review: The best thing about Gladiator is the acting. I can't imagine anybody other than Russell Crowe playing Maximus. His performance is absolutely perfect. Russell earned his Oscar for this role, and it had nothing to do with his not winning for The Insider. If I had to describe Russell's performance in one word, it would be "subtle." Russell always holds your attention and makes himself clear, but he is never flashy or exaggerated. He conveys Maximus' intelligence, sense of humor, warmth, courage, dignity, intensity, and all the other facets of his personality. He is also very [good looking]! Joaquin Phoenix should have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Commodus. Connie Nielsen is superb as Lucilla and has excellent chemistry with Russell. The rest of the cast is also brilliant. The music, by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, is magnificent and should have won the Oscar. The writing and directing are good, but not great. Seeing Gladiator made me curious about the Roman Empire, and I have been doing some reading. The movie has been criticized for its historical inaccuracies. I think if people want to know the facts about the Roman Empire, they can read a history book. The movie is intended to be entertaining, not educational.
Rating:
Summary: Shadows and Dust!
Review: Gladiator is an amazing film on many levels: it is a broad, expansive, epic movie that has not been attempted in many years in Hollywood...that has an amazing center in the character of Maximus (Russell Crowe), who falls victim to the ambition of the illegitimate Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). On the other hand, it can be very personal and intimate at times...witness the very first scene, where we see Maximus daydream of being home, running his hand through his farmland. Or the various scenes where we see him wrestle with his desire to avenge the death of his wife and son while attempting to rid Rome of the vile Commodus. This is a film that is absolutely riveting from beginning to end; it is impossible to overstate the impact that Hans Zimmer's score has on the action...and the heart-wrenching emotion from Lisa Gerrard's voice harkens back to Titanic. If you haven't seen this...I suggest you do as soon as possible!
Rating:
Summary: best of all
Review: This is really the best film i have ever seen! Eventhough it normally never happens, this film made me cry..
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