Review of Gladiator (1992) by James D — 22 Feb 2018
76% critic rating? This is quite possibly the best film ever made. It's right up there with Alien, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Back to the Future, and other great classics.
The soundtrack was fantastic by Hans Zimmer, the special effects were decent, the fight choreography was executed quite well, the story was flawless, and the writing was intriguing overall. What else is so special about it? Maximus Decimus Meridius, the main protagonist and disgraced commander who was betrayed by Lucius Aurelius Commodus, later gets his revenge on Commodus after he gave the order to murder Maximus' wife and son.
After Commodus murdered Marcus Meridius, the father of Maximus, for not picking him to become the next emperor earlier in the film, Commodus became the next emperor and chose to betray Maximus by default.
Maximus is captured, and is forced to work against his will as a gladiator. At the end of the film, Emperor Commodus stabs Maximus in his back with a knife prior to his arrival at the center of the amphitheater for one last fight.
Despite the pain he was in, he was still able to kill Commodus. Furthermore, Maximus died at the end of the film and I was actually shocked by this. There aren't too many movies where both the villain and hero are killed off at the end.
The Tomatometer and audience score on this site prove that this film is one of the most underrated films of all time.
This review of Gladiator (1992) was written by James D on 22 Feb 2018.
Gladiator has generally received positive reviews.
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