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Gladiator isn’t really my kind of movie. I’m not a drama kind of person. In fact, the first time I saw Gladiator, I fell asleep. I did, however, give it another chance (when I was a little less sleepy), and I allowed myself to enjoy it for what it is –- a beautifully artistic drama.
Best Actor Academy Award winner Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, the general of the Roman army under Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). The dying emperor decides the Maximus will succeed him -– and prepare the Senate to take full control of Rome. The emperor’s son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), however, has other plans. He kills his father and declares himself emperor.
When Maximus refuses to serve the new emperor, Commodus orders him killed. But Maximus escapes -– into the hands of a slave trader, who sells him as a gladiator. Maximus’s success in the arena brings him to Rome, where he begins his battle to save the empire.
Gladiator is a beautiful film –- to put it simply. Instead of shocking viewers with blood and gore (as most directors would in a violent film like this one), director Ridley Scott made battle scenes artistic -– with strobe-like action and the symphonic melodies of Hans Zimmer. Considering the number of rather gruesome deaths in this film, my stomach was relatively undisturbed.
Crowe’s performance is spectacular -– and Phoenix is totally believable as a tyrannical jerk with an unnatural love of his sister (though I’m not sure that that’s necessarily a good thing).
Scott did an excellent job of recreating the beauty and splendor of ancient Rome –- while subtly allowing it to all make sense (think of the gladiator scenes as a football game, and you’ll be able to place yourself there without a problem). In fact, Scott did an excellent job with subtleties in general -– and that’s what makes Gladiator such an award-winning film.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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