Predictable melodrama

Rating: 5/10 (6 May 2000)

I'd been looking forward to seeing Gladiator, since reading a review in the TIME praising it to the skies. I was disappointed - the story did not touch my heart. I think "BraveHeart" had a much better story and characters. I did not feel much empathy for the characters and the love story left me cold. The endless chit chat between the "Roman" characters was so boring with the dialogues utterly ordinary. The special effects were ok, but nothing extraordinary. Similar melodramatic stories have been seen by me ( as I from India) millions of times before. Wife, sister, parents, brother or son murdered and the hero taking his revenge. I would advise others who are praising the movies to the skies to start watching Indian movies. They will really lap it up. I also found the ending a big let down. The climax was so meek !! And I here I was expecting a big showdown between the the armies of the rebels and the emperor. Russel Crowe has acted well, but I believe any of our homegrown Indian superstars can give him a run for money in the melodramatic and action sequences. I found Joaquim Phoenix and the lady awful. The Gladiator isn't awful, but it's not particularly memorable either. You may want to see it to satisfy your curiosity, but not if you're concerned with getting value for your money.
Arvind