Review of Gladiator (1992) by Calmaff11 — 16 Sep 2014

This is by far one of the best, if not the best, movie of all time. Or at least according to me.

The plot of the story is one of downfall and the returning of a great hero, warrior, and man. The plot takes you to a world that is possible to imagine and is so easily and well done that you could almost believe that the movie was in fact shot in Ancient Rome. It's so expertly written that I have watched it dozens of times and still enjoy every moment of it. The story adds to the setting, character development, and overall feel of the movie. It's an amazing film as far as storytelling goes.

As for the acting I can even appreciate the main villain. He comes off as a whining, simpering lunatic with quite a lot of daddy issues. Most of the time the villain is the one person I find most uninteresting, but this time I did find him interesting and due to this wanted him to die so hard. As for the main role, played by Russel Crowe, Maximus is just the guy. He's the one guy I'd want in case of zombie outbreak. Batman is well and good, but Maximus is better. Batman can abandon you and go and fight the zombies by himself and then when he returns to you he can sit there and do some detective work to try and figure out why leaving you by yourself got you killed. While Maximus will ensure the survival of you, your friends, the kid with you, the dog, the cat, and the donkey you've all got following you. In short...best cinema hero ever. A believable hero too.

The settings are just amazing and really suck you into the film. Every piece, every segment looks like something you would see in Ancient Rome. From the coliseum to the streets of Rome you're made to believe that they're all in an accurately depicted ancient civilization. Not to mention the costuming also plays a big role in giving you that feel. No one is dressed out of place and the costumes due the timeline and the movie honest justice.

The music is amazing, and it stands out when it needs to, and fades to the back when it needs to. They did very well on that part and unlike many movies that just like to park trumpets in your face and blow your eardrums up this one has none of that. They did their music well and come on...I love Enya.

In the end this is a beautiful, touching, gorgeous movie that's all heart. It had me crying my eyeballs out, and also got me thrilled. It's one of a kind and to this day Gladiator remains one of, if not my favorite, film of all time.