Great F/X, mediocre movie

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2001)

Seeing the Colliseum in all its splendor is worth the price of admission all by itself, but there is little else memorable about Gladiator. The worst part is the hackneyed Hollywood sappy ending that leaves you feeling intellectually cheated. After Gladiator, I finally decided never to see another Hollywood blockbuster in the theater - why did it take me so long to learn that lesson? On an historical note, Commodus really did enjoy participating in the games, much to the embarrassment of the Roman upper class. He really was killed by a gladiator too, only, he was at home at the time and it was a wrestler named Narcissus who strangled him while the Praetorian Guard looked on.