I think the best way to describe Gladiator is simply 'epic'. I mean this in the sense that the story and protagonists are matched in scale only by Rome itself, which is incredibly portrayed by lengthy sweeping shots, especially seeing as the movie was made almost 15 years ago. There's never a truly dull moment throughout Gladiator, as character development is appropriate and the scenes which take place within the Colosseum are incredibly entertaining, with Russell Crowe standing out as one of the best actors of our generation.
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| Maximus (Russell Crowe) |
What surprised me most about the movie was the fact that despite being a depiction of historical events, I enjoyed it just as much as any movie focusing on current affairs. I've never been an avid fan of movies revolving around key moments in history such as the rule of the Roman empire, but the focus on vengeance and Gladiator combat kept the movie fresh and allowed it to have a consistently enjoyable pace, rather than small bursts of excellence.
There's very little I can say about Gladiator which could be considered a negative. Usually I'd have issue with a movie being over two hours as the majority of the time many scenes are simply 'filler' to extend the run-time, but Gladiator somehow manages to contain one exceedingly good scene after another, never slowing down or becoming boring. Even the soundtrack is epic, aiding the intense fighting scenes tremendously.
Verdict
Gladiator is simply one of the finest depictions of ancient Rome that I have seen across many forms of media. You're willing the protagonist of Maximus to be successful in his endeavours every step of the way, something somewhat rare in movies nowadays. 9/10
"The general who became a slave.
The slave who became a gladiator.
The Gladiator who defeated an empire."
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