Rating: 
Summary: Splatiador
Review: Awful movie! Why did it win best picture? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was definitey robbed of the Oscar!
Rating: 
Summary: A stunning epic.
Review: "Gladiator" (2000)What more could you ask of Gladiator? It's crowd-pleasing, entertaining, its got Russell Crowe, CGI tigers, swords, lots and lots of action and a suitable running time for a battle epic. I enjoyed Gladiator even since it came out. I thought it was clever and enthralling entertainment that kept me captivated with its ferocious and heartfelt story. On the subject of the story, Gladiator really does have a lot going for it. It may not look a lot on the outside, but look for Gladiator's interior and you will see there is actually quite a lot going on the film. The big picture of course is the story about ol' Maximus (Crowe) becoming a gladiator and defying an empire. However the movie also has some excellent sub-plots which bring across the messages of family love, revenge, jealousy, history, friendship, death, war and terrific conquests. I was constantly surprised at how much I was learning from Gladiator, even if it did have some historical inaccuracies. To bring to life all these stories we needed a great director, someone who used his/her vision to bring such a highly anticipated cinema event to life. Thank God for Ridley Scott. Scott puts all his heart and soul into the film and it finally emerges as one of his most enjoyable and entertaining and overall best achievements to date. Scott uses every ounce of his filmmaking passion and incredibly he makes this movie look, feel and seem every inch like a gladiators stadium. Scott's cast also does extremely well in delivering the goods. Heading, of course, is New Zealand's own Russell Crowe, who has never faulted yet. Crowe brings such a manly, strong and enjoyable hero to watch you literally have to choke back the urge to cheer for his character. Joaquin Phoenix is the villain in the film, he brings an eerie screen presence, and he is finally matching up to the standards of his late brother, River. Connie Neilsen is the main lady in the film, and struts through the movie with a great elegance. Neilsen carries herself excellently, and she proves that she can do better than just an extended cameo (The Devil's Advocate). Oliver Reed is also particularly enjoyable, as is Amistad's Djimoun Hounson, and Richard Harris is perfect in the very small but largely important role of Marcus Aurelius. The movie looks great, too. The battle scenes are gory and the incredible sound techniques used in them are eye widening. The costumes are beautiful and have a lot of range, Janty Yates did do a good job, but the armour and most of the costume designs weren't actually made in the times when this film is set. Never mind, they look good and suit the cast, and at the end of the day that's what matters. The CGI and effects are like nothing you'll probably see throughout 2000 - you cannot even tell these are special effects. I almost thought that Scott had got his team to build a coliseum and make Russell Crowe fight real tigers. Stunning! The length and pace of the film suited me fine. Even though it is over 2 hours, Gladiator actually never really bored me or had me uninterested, so I was fine with the couple of hours well spent in the cinema. I really liked the way the movie begun and ended. The beginning really proves a man's hand gliding across grass can lead to a lot of different points in a film, and the ending almost had me in tears. This movie is very well done and never goes over the boat with cheesiness. I guess that's exactly why I felt so much for the characters and never found myself sighing or rolling my eyes when the dramatic scenes were on. Gladiator is a film you'll love or hate. I loved it a lot, it's a movie that has the power to entertain you with action, stun you with thrills, take your breath away with some amazing atmospheric special effect places, and definitely make you feel a lot for the people in the movie. I highly recommend this to not only action gurus and Russell Crowe fans, but I think everyone will find something they like in Gladiator. MY GRADE: A
Rating:
Summary: Gladiator
Review: I'm sure you have heard it a thousand times, but Gladiator is just a incredible movie. The DVD is just a great representation of it with clean picture and sound. If you haven't seen it yet, you are greatly missing out, and if you have, the DVD will not disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: What was all the fuss about?
Review: This movie was overrated. While it's an okay adventure film, the story's plot holes are large and glaring and rather frustrating. The acting was workmanlike, but really undeserving of any extra praise, and Crowe certainly did not give an Oscar-caliber performance. Additionally, the film was disappointingly historically inaccurate. Commodus reigned as emperor for about thirteen years, was a physically imposing individual of daunting martial prowess, and his death was the result of intrigue and poison rather than as portrayed in the film. I wish I'd rented this, rather than having bought a copy for my extensive dvd collection. Oh, well.
Rating:
Summary: A soon to be classic
Review: The only way to some up this movie is to state how soon it shal be considered a classic. If you are an action buff, if you like drama, or if you just like movies than Gladiator is for you! The actions scenes are realisiticly intriguing and it is exciting to watch. Hans Zimmer's music is perfect, along with Russel Crowe.
Rating:
Summary: Gladiator
Review: This movie is one of the best movies that I have ever seen. I recomend this Oscar winning movie to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing New
Review: I rented this film on videotape when it was first released to the home market and invited a friend to watch it with me. About a third of the way into the film I turned to my friend to ask how he liked it--and I found he was actually asleep. It isn't that GLADIATOR is badly made per se; it's just that we've seen it all before, and there is absolutely nothing new about either the story or the way in which it is presented. I knew within the first ten minutes exactly how the plot would unfold, how the characters would be presented, and how the whole thing would finish up. Amusingly, the highly touted cgi effects used in GLADITOR were essentially used to recreate the lavish sets and hordes of extras: they just couldn't afford to do it any other way. My thought about it? Rent SPARTACUS. Not only are all those sets and extras REAL, it's a better film.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT WE DO IN LIFE ECHOS IN ETERNITY
Review: Well, Russell Crowe's echo will definitely be heard for a long time to come. This year marks his third consecutive Oscar nod. He's not only a terrific actor, but an all around cool guy. Regardless of what the tabloids say about him, he seems really funny and personable. Anyway, Gladiator is an amazing movie. In the tradition of Spartacus, a Roman general turned slave seeks vengeance on his family's brutal murder. Russell Crowe won a well deserved Oscar, but Joaquin Phoenix is the star of this movie. His portrayal as the coniving, evil, malicious, jealous, and downright nasty Commodus (he's the villian; could ya guess?!) is absolutely stunning. His innocent, deceitful, yet powerful, violent, yet tender and naive turn as the envious Commodus is extremely noteworthy. If there's anyone who hasn't seen this movie, you don't know what you're missing. With a haunting score by Hans Zimmer and beautiful cinematography, Gladiator is a truly remarkable film. Don't miss it....especially with this extra-packed DVD. For another compelling performance by Russell Crowe, check out Romper Stomper. In that Australian tale about a Nazi skinhead (and no, it's not even close to American History X's plot), Crowe proves that he most definitely is one of our finest actors to date. I highly reccommend both.
Rating:
Summary: A bit of a bore
Review: Equal parts Hollywood spectacle, extraordinary computer special effects, simple Goodie v. Baddie plot and maudlin sentiment. Russell Crowe (and this is a fellow Aussie writing here) proves conclusively that Best Actor Oscars really are given away with the Cornflakes. Save your money or buy "Lord of the Rings", or even "Harry Potter" - much more fun and much, much less pretentious.
Rating:
Summary: Oustanding reinvention of the 'sword and sandal' genre
Review: Film, more than any other art, has the wherewithal to create an epic tale. One reason is that the medium is literally larger than life. The screen exaggerates everything. Another reason is that most people who make movies are gamblers by nature. They often invest staggering sums of money on a single movie. Sometimes, they hit the jackpot. The three most successful movies of all time are Gone with the Wind, Star Wars, and Titanic. Each had an epic tale to tell. Each cost a fortune, made back an even larger fortune, and became legend in the public's eyes. Since Titanic was released just three years ago, it appears that this form of movie making is as popular as ever. This year we have Gladiator. Financially it did well, though grossing nowhere near what the Big Three did. Artistically, it's as good as almost epic I can think of. It certainly disproves the notion that the 'sword and sandal' movie is dead and buried. The place is the Roman Empire. The time is the Second Century AD. A Roman army, led by Maximus [Russell Crowe], is ready to wage a decisive battle against fierce Germanian troops. Winning the battle will bring to Rome and its emperor, Marcus Aurelius [Richard Harris], peace for the first time in years. Marcus has been at the battle front for many months and is now joined by his children, Cummodus [Joaquin Phoenix] and Lucilla [Connie Nielson]. After the battle, which is a most intense and brilliantly orchestrated piece of film making, Marcus gives Maximus, whom he loves like a son, many new responsibilities, though Maximus wants nothing more than to return to his farm in Spain and to his wife and son. The treacherous and insane Cummodus, terrified that Maximus will prevent his succeeding to the throne, plots to have Maximus killed. While the hero escapes, he pays a terrible price and winds up becoming the gladiator of the title. Lucilla, who also loves Maximus, can do nothing, for fear that Cummodus will harm her young son. In Gladiator Russell Crowe has finally found his way to major stardom. He is perfect as Maximus, giving him a macho facade that masks a loyal, caring and intelligent man. Joaquin Phoenix gives the best performance of his career to date as Cummodus. The two actors make formidable onscreen adversaries in several chilling scenes, most of which take place in a nicely rendered vision of the Roman Coliseum as it might have appeared all those years ago. Connie Nielson gives the wily and brilliant Lucilla a majesty reminiscent of Cate Blanchette in Elizabeth. Bringing added depth to the movie are three older actors - Richard Harris, Oliver Reed and Derek Jacobi. Harris and Reed were major stars in their own right in the early 1960s and early 1970s. Sadly, Reed died just after completing his role, and Gladiator is dedicated to him. Director Ridley Scott is one of the best, bringing elegance, style and substance to most of his movies. He had directed such diverse pictures as Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma and Louise.
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