great action, no heart. (SPOILERS)

Rating: 5/10 (14 May 2000)

I came into this movie hearing rave reviews about it, but afterwards, I must say I was rather disappointed. To be fair, the CGI shots of the crowds at The Colluseum were gorgeous, and the fight scenes were top notch. However Gladiator was missing something that other historical epics had, and that was emotion. In Spartacus, we see the horrible conditions that Spartacus and the slaves lived in, and we rooted for them to fight for their freedom. In Braveheart, the film spends a great deal of time developing the romance between Wallace and his wife, and when she's killed by the English, there is a greater emotional response when Wallace fights the English. There was none of that in Gladiator. Although, we see Maximus' wife and son murdered, I felt nothing, since practically no time time was spent fleshing out their relationship. And also Maximus' goal is to overthrow Commodus as emperor and bring control of the Roman Empire to the Senate. I don't know about you, but government restructuring pales in comparison to trying to topple a kingdom. By the time the movie ended, I really didn't care who won or lost. I give Gladiator a 5/10 (5 is for the special effects.)