Not terrible.

Rating: 6/10 (9 July 2000)

(implied spoilers ahoy if you haven't seen it!)
Good acting, but mismatched. Phoenix's (Caesar's heir) didn't compare to Russell Crowe (Maximus).
Characters a bit weak. What's Maximus' feelings? Is he unwilling to fight anymore? Why does he fight so hard when he has nothing to live for? Does he care or not? How could Caesar not anticipate his son's rage at being passed over? And if the sister was so cunning how is it she didn't find a way to assainate her brother who paraded around defenseless in front of her every day for 5 years? Or that she would allow her secret plans to be heard by her son? How could a former gladiator slave then go on to enslave more gladiators yet have a self-sacrificing loyalty?
The cinematics were a cut above most movies but a cut below Scott's. There were too many different filming styles; in the beginning we have the slow motion blurred battle scenes (yuck). Then CGI-peppered panorama shots (sorry, those CGI falling rose petals, birds and people still don't look quite right). Then (my favorite, the most Ridley-like) lush dream sequences with wind swept European countryside. Compare that to how much more coherent a vision we saw in Blade Runner, and those guys had to make little plastic models and matte paintings.
Worth seeing, and the Roman trivia scattered in the skit was neat, but we're not talking Blade Runner or Alien quality stuff.