Not an epic, but entertaining nonetheless.

Rating: 7/10 (4 June 2000)

Gladiator turns out to be a fairly standard revenge story, but one that is good enough so that if you're reasonably willing to be entertained, it will have you cheering for the good guy in the end. The story is not all that deep, and while none of the characters except the bad guy are really fleshed out all that deeply (they're pretty much all stock), you are given enough of the story to make all of the characters' motivations quite believable. The movie occasionally attempts to make a social or political statement, but never really delves into the meaning of it very far before the story changes gears. I was quite impressed by the effects, though, and enjoyed being given the architecture of Rome in her glory than just seeing lots of things blowing up (some shots of the Colosseum are quite impressive). When the action is on, it is good with some exciting, if hectic, fight scenes. But this is not an action movie by any stretch, with the fights really being few and far between. The actors and actresses all turn in very good performances. Crowe's character wasn't called on to display a wide range of emotion or to show a serious internal struggle, as his "job" is made quite clear from early on. But he still commands a strong presence onscreen and easily becomes a hero you feel good about rooting for.
While not quite what I'd call an epic, due to its fairly straightforward (though far from dumb) story and lack of a strong message, I was still highly entertained and left quite satisfied at the end. If you're looking for serious subject matter or deep characterizations or loads of action, steer clear. But if you're not overly cynical when a moviemaker is just trying to entertain you, this will most likely be an enjoyable experience.