overrated and overawarded

Rating: 5/10 (29 March 2001)

i avoided this film when it came out at the cinema, and when it won at the oscars i begrudgingly agreed to watch it on video. "gladiator", although a technically well made movie, suffers from bad writing and average acting (although joaquin phoenix is good). russell crowe is always a good actor, but even he seems weighed down by the action and special effects to be able to give an in-depth performance - i can't help but feel his oscar was more of a nod for his performance in "the insider" more than anything else. i admit it would have been a good movie to see on the big screen, but even then there are some backdrops that look.. well, like backdrops. overall, it was eyecandy trying to be something more, and out of the five nominees for best picture it was the weakest.
liked the tigers though - why weren't they given