The first blockbuster of the year

Rating: Null/10 (7 May 2000)

Gladiator is in the top 3 best "Roman" movies I have seen--and I have seen them all--along with Ben Hur and Spartacus. Many people talk about the opening battle in Germania, but to me the highlight was the Carthage gladiator battle in the middle. Russell Crowe is going to be hotter than those flaming balls of oil. The production values were superb, and I just cannot conceive of any film coming up this year beating Gladiator in all the technical aspects--Art Direction, Cinematography, Costumes, Score (I HAVE to get that CD!!), Film Editing, Visual Effects, and Sound. Anyone who doesn't see it in the theatre is nuts (and I have a vested interest in hoping this does well so we get some more blood and sand epics like this one!). Long live Gladiator!