A letdown in most respects

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2000)

As I watched the previews for Gladiator, I was enveloped in anticipation of a film in a genre I adore: Historical Fiction. It evoked a "Braveheart" type feeling, though from different eras all together. We have a jaded strongman who lost his family and changes the world around him while in a haze of grief, searching vengeance. What I got was a very shallow piece that failed in bringing me into Maximus' personal hell.
Sure the colliseum scenes were awesome. But the dull, muddy colors and too-fast editing cued me into the fact that the special effects were less than spectacular. The colliseum scenes couldn't have looked more computer generated, or miniaturized if they were done in my basement.
I rather enjoyed Russell Crowe's wonderful performance, but he was so depressing, I felt like I was dragging my heels on the way out of the theatre. He's a wonderful versatile actor, and I respect the amount of effort he put into this film, so short after his stint as an overweight scientist in "The Insider". Joaquin Pheonix was deliciously evil, and kept me entertained from beginning to end. Had I been drawn into the love story with Maximus' wife and child and had a chance to bond with them, I perhaps wouldn't have felt so cut off from his grief. And if the ending hadn't suddenly taken on the molasses variety of sweet, I might have left with a much better taste in my mouth. So to put it simply, if you're going to see it to satisfy your bloodlust and love for violence, by all means, this is your film. But if you are seeking something deeper, with more beauty and significance, like Braveheart or Ben-Hur, I suggest hitting the video store and revisiting those favorites, because in what those two film did to achieve status as classics, Gladiator falls amazingly short.