Like a nice, slightly ill-fitting suit

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2000)

I liked this movie: it had good action, some intrigue, the sets were beautiful, etc. However, it suffered from a few editing problems. For instance, the scene when the senator advises Commodus to imitate the sea-snake: why? Nothing comes of it. Was there a piece of story line that fell to the cutting-room floor? Visual mis-edits abound: gladiators in a tortoise in the center of the arena, then a scene of milling shields, then a faraway scene of the tortoise again. I found it distracting. Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but it left me feeling like I bought a nice suit that doesn't fit quite right. Having seen Ridley Scott's Director's Cut of Blade Runner, and finding it superior to the original, I wonder how satisfied he is with Gladiator as it plays in the theaters now.