Great acting, but the rest?

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2000)

Russell Crowe is fantastic as Maximus in both physique and temperament. As a man of honor who valued the simple things but who could back them up with his sword, Maximus is a character worth sitting nearly three hours in a theatre for, and Crowe brings Maximus to life in ways that makes me wonder if Russell is "acting" at all. Connie Nielson is also well cast as Lucilla. A real beauty, (think Sharon Stone), her scenes with Maximus are first rate. The other cast members did a good job as well. I would point out the boy who played Lucius only to say that he is a far better child actor than the one who played Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. As for Joaquin Phoenix, I wanted him to be more "psycho," in that while he succeeded in making Commodus disturbing, I found myself laughing at him more than I was scared of him. There were times when I simply wanted to tell Commodus to go to his room, and I would've done it without fear of reprisals, but I'm not sure if that's Phoenix's fault so much as it's the script's.
The costumes are wonderful!!! Especially Lucilla's outfits, and her jewelry and makeup are perfect as well. The battle gear and gore make-up are also well done.
Visual effects-wise, the inside of the Colosseum is great, but the rest of Rome seems so fake. While breathtaking, it is obviously computer generated. As for the battle/action scenes, they seem rushed and choppy. The opening scene for example, both visually and audially (esp. the arrows) reminds me of Star Wars for some reason, but I digress. The first half of the battle is well done, showing the sheer numbers on both sides and the strategic planning involved. However, the second half is annoying in the way in which it's shot. It doesn't live up to any of the Braveheart battle scenes that people seem to want to compare them to at all. The rest of the action scenes seem to follow the same pattern--great general set-up, horrible follow through. The lighting however was well done in terms of when and how it was used to fit the theme of the movie.
While obviously leaning on the action scenes with its epic proportions and gory grandeur to draw in and "entertain" the movie-going audience, the movie would have been better off focusing on the more intimate and human interest side of the story. The best scenes in the movie were the ones that took place out of the sight of "glorious" Rome with its architectural wonders, its mob-like masses, and its moral corruption. Those shot in dark, dank corners between two or three people, esp. those between Maximus and Lucilla, were fantastic and did more to draw me into the lives of the characters, where the real story should take place, than any that dealt with the fate of Rome.
The Gladiator is still a movie that I would recommend to others however, if only to make sure that Russell Crowe and Connie Nielson get the recognition that they deserve. But don't take my word for it, go see it for yourself.