Extended Edition is more than shadows and dust.

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2005)

NOTE: REVIEW PERTAINS TO EXTENDED EDITION
**WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**
I'm going to apologize ahead of time to everyone reading this, as it may be a little biased. Why? Because I believe Gladiator is one of the greatest films ever made. As far as favorite films go, this is one of my top five. In fact, as I think about it, it rests only behind "Evil Dead" and "American Beauty" for me.
Of course, who now isn't familiar with this story? The Roman Legion General Maximus, Russel Crowe, is the main figure. The film follows his journey from General to slave to gladiator. It is also the story of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and his usurping of the throne of Emperor, as well as his knowledge of the people of Rome (the mob), and his lack of knowledge of politics. It follows the side-story of the planning to de-throne Commodus and restore the Republic that once was Rome. All with staggering sets and scenes, a rousing musical score, and a cast of believable, and realistically portrayed characters.
Here's the breakdown:
What's New:
--17 minutes of added material, according to the DVD case.
--Countless scenes have extra shots here and there basically adding to the detail of Rome, the environment and atmosphere.
--Proximo (Oliver Reed), the man who first purchases Maximus to be a gladiator, is seen being enticed to bet against Maximus and Juba (Djimon Hounsou) in their first gladitorial bout when they are chained together.
--Prior toanother early bout--where Maximus alone is the fighter in the arena against several other men--we see Proximo telling him to entertain the crowd.
--A new conversation during the time when Maximus is scarring himself in an attempt to remove the mark of the Legion from his shoulder.
--Several new scenes of a subplot concerning the poor job Commodus is doing as Emperor and what needs to be done to rid Rome of his influence.
--Commodus rages against a statue of his father after finding out Maximus still lives.
--An execution of those Commodus believes lied to him about the execution of Maximus.
--The revelation that the extremely large gladiator, Hagen (Ralf Moeller), under Proximo is a German barbarian (which adds some depth and insight into a brief exchange between the barbarian and Maximus later on).
--Little more depth added to Quintus (Tomas Arana), a member of the Pretorian Guard.
The Good:
--The acting is superb and believable--Russel Crowe's performance is powerful and often heart-breaking.
--The sets and costumes are perfect--you believe you actually are in Rome. The colors, images, and scale are vibrant, breathtaking, and immense.
--Brilliant atmosphere and cinematography.
--Some of the best fight/battle sequences I've personally ever seen in a film of this nature. Sure, "Braveheart" chopped more limbs, but these bouts were more personal and more face-to-face. No running-through-a-field-swinging-a-blade-randomly here.
--Added footage fills in many gaps.
--Among the best music of any motion picture, in my very humble opinion. I can't count the times when the music and themes from this film have wandered randomly into my mind.
--Some of the best dialogue and lines of any film of this nature. A far cry above the Neanderthal ramblings of Brad Pitt in "Troy."
Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:
--The added scenes may or may not be to the flavor of some people. Personally, I really liked them and the added depth to the story and characters in the film. For me, several small gaps and conversations now make more sense. No new battle footage--that was all kept in the theatrical (also Director's) cut.
--At 2 hours and 51 minutes, it may be too much for some people now--but those people don't matter.
The Bad:
--Not one damn thing. Although, some may be disappointed by the lack of any new battle footage.
The Ugly:
--Many people complained about the quality of the backgrounds behind the massive sets. Frankly, they don't bother me one bit. You know why? Because a tiny imperfection in the background image in an otherwise perfect film doesn't detract from the film's power or quality in any way.
Memorable Scene:
--There are far too many. But for the sake of filling this in: The first time Maximus reveals himself as still living to Commodus as well as the climactic final battle between the two. Also, Proximo's Gladiators' first great event in the Colisseum--where they won when they were supposed to lose. You see? Too many to pick just one...
Acting: 10/10 Story: 10/10 Atmosphere: 10/10 Cinematography: 10/10 Character Development: 10/10 (more than the R-rated version) Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10 Nudity/Sexuality: 2/10 (quantity--based around Commodus's infatuation with his sister, some dialogue) Violence/Gore: 8/10 (quantity--all high quality) Sets/Backgrounds: 9/10 Dialogue: 10/10 Music: 10/10 Writing: 10/10 Direction: 10/10
Cheesiness: 0/10 Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 10/10
Frankly, if you're a fan of Gladiator or even Russel Crowe, you need to get this version of the film. If you're a war/epic/battle-film fan, you'll also greatly enjoy it. Standard film buffs--see it. Standard movie goers... well if you've seen the original, and only "liked" it or thought it was just "okay" or even "not your cup of tea," may find nothing new here to hold any interest. Personally, I highly recommend it, but then again, it is one of my personal favorite films.
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