The history of cinema is as much the star here and plays the most important part in the stucture, execution and success of this film as the history of the of the Roman empire itself. It was exciting to relive an era and genre that was thought long lost. Equally exciting is that an entire generation of cinema-goers will be experiencing for the first time what our parents and grandparents experienced in cinema through the 50's and 60's. Such epics like Ben-Hur, The Fall of the Roman Empire, The Robe, Demetrius and the Gladiators and most significantly, Stanley Kubrick's, Spartacus, are the obvious inspiration. Thankfully, inspiration and not imitation.
Many filmmakers fall flat at the fine line between the two.
For its 153 minute running time Ridley Scott has crafted a spectacle quite superior to its predecessors without overplaying them, and very carefully and affectionately paying homage to the genre at the same time. Naturally, computer technology of today was not available back then but that is by far no flaw. The music score by Hans Zimmer is stirring and triumphant. Combined with Ridley Scott's vision it is one of the most exciting and original marriages of film and music ever put together. It strongly confirms a great screen presence, and a great loss to cinema.