Awesome fight scenes, but being long doesn't make it "epic"

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2000)

I saw Gladiator in a packed auditorium, where every drop of blood, beheading, and tiger bite was greeted with enthusiastic cheers. And there was a lot of cheering, as the movie was filled with outstanding, original action sequences.
Weighing in at close to three hours, this movie tried to be an "epic film," but failed. It featured all the standards: the love interest from long ago, the wise old man, the ambitious son, the black sidekick, the "we must work together" speech, a man fighting for revenge, etc. And it's all very good, but not great.
Go to the Colisseum , see the bloodshed, cheer. But don't expect much more than that.