Are You Not Entertained?

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2019)

Gladiator is a masterpiece of revenge, power through awe, and the incredible production and acting. The roman warrior motifs of honor and glory combined with emotions and loss house an unforgettable movie.
It all unfolds in Ancient Rome where a prestigious general of a large army meets with the emperor during a battle. The emperor tells the general, Maximus Decimus Meridias, that he will give the throne to Maximus when he passes. After that, he calls his son, Commodus, in and shares the news. His son kills him in anger. He lies that the throne is his and demands Maximus to either join him or die. Maximus refuses and then escapes death. He comes home to find his family killed and his house burned with them. From everything to nothing, he is then captured by slave traders and through a series of events, he ends up a gladiator. He spends the rest of his time using the glory of a honorable gladiator to take the throne as his own in a path he could not have predicted.
The theme of revenge is this movie. Maximus was guided by revenge in all of his actions. His desire was unstoppable. The film makes sure that you feel sympathetic for Maximus as he loses his life in a single day. But if you take a step out of the perspective the director offers there is a moral dilemma for us all. The question to ask is: To what extent can revenge consist of before becoming unjustified? Does Commendus deserve death, prison, or what? The director expresses his opinion at the end on what the situation warrants.
The other major theme shown is power through awe. Maximus gains power through the people and their perspective. It is directly relatable to our world today. If people entertain us, we will support and follow them. In Gladiator, it is taken advantage of by Maximus. He realizes it after his first battle and the people are on their feet cheering while the camera swivels around Maximus as he gradually figures out what he has just accidentally devised. Almost how President Trump gained his following largely through gaining attention in the media, Maximus gained reputation through entertainment.
There is a reason Russell Crowe, the actor of Maximus, won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Gladiator. He truly played the idea of a man losing his life. Just the way he almost seemed silent and speechless as if he just still was shocked about what had happened. The flashbacks from his farm and family collides with reality and you see it in Russell's eyes and tone as he fades between the two. The mood he sparkes will make any viewer close to tears. His excellence in playing Maximus prevails throughout the movie and conveys sympathy to the viewer, generating an emotion connection to the character.
The soundtrack is filled with honor and glory of a true roman patriotic warrior. It fits perfectly in the setting and motifs of Gladiator. The soundtrack added an immense amount of emotion to convey Maximus' expressions to our heart. The audience is prepared through the setup of Russell's acting from action scenes to messages of family and glory and once the soundtrack hits your emotions come crashing with it. In the right moments, the soundtrack enlightens the honor and glory of the movie admirably.
The only issue I have is the realism. It's a historic film and as a man of realism myself, it hurts to see people die in a finger snap from an arrow no the chest. While it is not perfect, I must applaud how much it differs from current mainstream movies such as the movies by the director Michael Bay whom loves to have explosions and extremely intense gunfire where military marines miss all their shots on the main character running away in an open field. So in a sense, I can not say it was far off ideal as it is in an arm length's away.
Similarly to the movie, The Blind Side, where the main character has nothing at the beginning and you find yourself feeling sympathy for the character, Gladiator bring that same hopeful and inspiring tone in a roman-era twist that affixes honor and glory. Gladiator has been my favorite film ever since I saw it. The components all manufacture an astonishing production of emotion and glory. With that being said, I require you to watch it immediately. You will never regret it.