Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 4.0
Great Visual Splash & Bad Shakespeare
"Gladiator" has many ups and downs. In many ways, I agree with some reviewers who describe the plot as thin and lacking real substance. While the story does follow a mock Shakespearian line, the film is really not that surprising and I was not awed by the acting performances in this film, save Crowe. "Braveheart," a similar film, had a little more to offer as far as a turbulent plot is concerned, but let's face it-it's the same kind of movie. We are not dealing with a movie that is supposed to achieve greatness through its clever dialogue and wit. This film is an entertaining visual splash that I believe succeeds quite splendidly. If you love action films, the wonderfully choreographed combat scenes that star Crowe and his Roman short sword are spectacular.Joaquin Phoenix just annoyed me in this film-plain and simple. So, in part, you could say that he was doing his job. But he was a bit over-the-top in his bad Shakespearian rendition of Commodus and I just wanted him to get off the screen whenever the camera fell upon him. Instead of creating an interesting villain, Phoenix created another stock "woe's me" character. Crowe's performance, on the other hand, is quite good-particularly for the amount of lines that he has to prove himself. The scenes that show Rome at its height are impressive and I enjoyed the transformed time period of this film."Gladiator" is a summer blockbuster that is a fun film, a movie that can be watched over and over again. Despite its surface-deep dialogue and lousy attempt to pull-off a psychologically driven, Shakespearian plot, it manages to lay out one of the more enriching action films of recent years.