How did this movie win!? Doesn't anyone else remember that this is a genre pic?

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2001)

Doesn't anyone else remember that gladiator movies are a genre? If not, allow me to educate. Gladiator movies (like the old steve reeves hercules pictures) were companions to the old spaghetti westerns or the errol flynn style swashbuckling pictures. The movies were successful because they were fun and simple, but that was it. They were sometimes grand in that they had a lot of extras (even when the occasional roman soldier can be seen wearing a gold watch), but that was really it. The plots were nothing special. They were all pretty much the same, actually. Element one, larger than life hero who just wants to be left alone to live his life has been stripped of everything by the evil villain. Element two, said villain. Element three, a girl. Put all three together, let the hero triumph over insurmountable odds, cut and print, and you've got your picture. Sound familiar? Now, it's great to see this genre picked up again for fun, even if it did take itself a little too seriously, but PLEASE, don't go around saying it was a great movie. It was just a gladiator movie, nothing special. Don't get your idea of ancient roman civilization from the movie either, spend some time in the library for christsake.