Not bad story, some solid acting, crafted with extremely well choreographed martial-arts action sequences

Rating: 8/10 (6 September 2010)

Back when this movie was born, I didn't get the chance to watch it. I'm glad I did today, of course, the 10th anniversary remastered version.
In general, it's a typical action-oriented Hollywood blockbuster, where there's not much plot involved. But this film successfully keeps its pace at a mid rate that doesn't make audience fall asleep, which is good for its genre. Compared to action thrillers like Bourne films, it lacks twists, while compared to formulaic ones like Kill Bill and 300, it still offers you a lot to see; not to mention that it's got a good ending.
As for the acting, not THAT much can be pointed out as outstanding since for a historical epic like this, it's mainly about men's bravery and the like. But, Russell Crowe's portrayal as Maximus is beyond awesome! He really brought the character into life as well as some depth. And of course, he's looking handsome as always (said by me, a boy who's not gay :D, LOL). Other characters do well enough to keep the film go on, but perhaps it's due to the simplicity of the parts for them that they do just good but not great on the whole.
On the other hand, directing, coloring (post-production), score and staging are all very well done. The colorful cinematography reaches state of art. Everything, ranging from constructions, sceneries, costumes to decorations of rooms, is beautifully colorful. Action sequences are where the film truly stands out. Apart from being well choreographed, there're also many little innovations to them that are very original.
The major flaw is certain useless subplots that slow the already-not- fast pace down, especially in the 1st act. But that doesn't hurt much, as the later scenes' intensity makes up for it.
8.5/10