Very Good, Not Great

Rating: Null/10 (15 May 2000)

Went for the fight scenes, they were too jumpy and close in. couldn't really see the flow of the fight, needed more long shots. Any sleeping Roman could get carted off into slavery? Idiots plotting against the Emperor deserved to get caught, they should have been immediately crucified - THAT would have been cool. Emperor with cleft-palate surgery scar? Romans were great builders and technologically advanced but their surgery technology did not include "plastic". Sorry to the PC crowd but it helped blow the suspension of disbelief and all that jazz. Emperor could have been slimy enough without the incest impulse. Final note, the historical emperor on which the character was loosely based actually did fight in the arena with gladiators and was killed as part of plot while wrestling.