light and breezy

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2000)

Beautiful to look at, but the story doesn't justify two seconds of consideration. Very possible this is what Rome looked like in Commodus' time, but even if it isn't, who cares. To me this Rome looked exactly like Berlin envisaged by Hitler and Speer, and even the Praetorian Guards looked a lot like SS-men. The way Maximus family was killed belongs more in the realm of Nazi flicks. Commodus looked exactly like Marlon Brando as Julius Caesar and he was possibly cast because of that. The end looked a lot like West Side Story, and everyone was exactly where they should stand and for a moment I expected them to burst out in a song. The opening fight was fantastic, but the rest looked too much like someones colourslides. The tigers performed beautifully. The curly-wigged stagemanager came straight out of Asterix Comic Books and also I felt like I was in a Don Martin Comic at times. I enjoyed it. What to do with a film like this?