Why does everyone like this movie?

Rating: 2/10 (3 June 2000)

Am I the only one who doesn't think that scenes of people relentlessly hacking away at each other and severing limbs, heads, etc, blood spouting everywhere is "beautiful" and "stunning cinematography"? I'm absolutely astonished at the other comments about this movie! I found the fight scenes to be uncomfortably gory and grim; and there were so many of them, and they went on and on and on! I had been told that it was thought provoking, a love story (??) and not very violent or gory. What movie was that? Certainly not this one! I was also annoyed at the gratuitousness of his wife and son being killed, just so he could be pissed off enough to justify his desire for revenge. (just like most of the old Charles Bronson movies) Wouldn't he have been pissed off enough by the murder of his beloved emperor, the betrayal of the 'ideals of the Roman Empire' and the fact that he was captured and made a slave? Guess not.
I went to the 9:00 pm show, and in between the battle scenes, I kept almost dozing off. I just didn't find the movie or the characters particularly interesting, engaging or compelling. "Gripping" is a word I have seen in other's comments--I don't see it. I was anything but gripped. In comparison to Braveheart, it was about as violent, but you didn't really care about any of these people or what they were doing. Braveheart made me want to find out more about William Wallace and that period of history; Gladiator made me want to go see Thomas the Tank Engine in the next theater to wash those gory images out of my brain and put something light in there instead!
I'm not trying to belittle anyone's opinions who loved this movie; I am just nonplussed by them. Basically, I just wanted it to be over, so I wouldn't have to watch it anymore.