Dude, where's the great movie?

Rating: Null/10 (2 March 2001)

I remember seeing Gladiator last summer. I remember dishing out 8 bucks, paying for my Coke, watching the movie, and coming out entertained. But that was it. And, really, that was it. It didn't linger on my mind even a nanosecond after I have exited the theatre. And I certainly didn't have to fight the urge to come back for more. The word "great" wouldn't exactly have fluttered about had I been asked to describe it. Six months or so later, what do I read: Gladiator is set to be named best movie of the year. What? has the definition of greatness changed? And thus, I ordered it on pay-per-view yesterday. Well, big shock, I dozed off several times. The movie started well enough with impressive pre-battle scenery but then when the action started, nothing could be seen: there was too many quick cuts (which, in contrast, reminds me of that amazing shot in Crouching Tiger when you see a thug fall off the first floor to the ground floor in ONE seamless shot) and jerky camera movements (which, in contrast, reminds me of the gorgeous overhead shots in Crouching Tiger). Great action? Well sure, people lose limbs, get impaled but I don't call that great action. Great scenery? I hate over-reliance on CGI (read: the Phantom Menace), the Coliseum has no organic feel to it and thus it is difficult to imagine the characters inhabiting the setting (read: Keanu Reeves pretending to act in front of a green screen). Great introduction to Rome? Well, enough has been said on that. The only thing historical about the oft-lauded battle was the "turtle" formation adopted by the Romans when confronted with enemy arrows. Of course the ending was predictably condescending. Had the setting been an American one, we would seen the star-spangled banner 100 times before the credits started rolling. You get the picture. Overall it was just one of those blockbuster for the masses, one of those factory-movies churned out in droves by Hollywood every summer. Entertainment for a mindless afternoon. But great art it isn't. Not even close. 7/10