Gladiator

I ignored Gladiator during its premiere and successfully for another 12 years, but during one of its reruns on TV, I couldn't resist and subsequently found out that my contempt for Gladiator should have persisted and my instinct did not disappoint as usual. The film simply has nothing to offer me, because it is a typical summer blockbuster with pompous production design, but it's stupid as hell. The story and dialogue are trivial and I don't hesitate to say idiotic. Of course, Connie Nielsen looks good, both the male stars are very solid actors and they keep the film afloat in parts, but other than that, I can only mention the generous set design, and then I'm out of positives. Even the often-mentioned opening battle didn't impress me much, and I maybe appreciate only the gladiators' fights in the arena. I dare to sacrilegiously declare that recently made movies Centurion and The Eagle, with the absence of movie stars, a fraction of the budget, and incomparably smaller ambitions suited me much better, although I don't consider them to be the pinnacle of cinema and I know they have numerous flaws. Overall impression: 40%. (27/08/2012)

A narratively and emotionally artistic spectacle that cleverly adapts the classic needs of historical cinema to the insatiable Hollywood mainstream, whose greatest asset, the overblown and expensive audiovisuals, is so phenomenal that it almost overshadows its great weakness, namely the script. I don’t give a shit about historical accuracy, but with more viewings I'm mostly annoyed by the superficial, half-baked message, served on a disproportionately stretched plot. I love this film, and the coliseum scenes are iconic, but Scott was more of a craftsman over the details than a builder of riveting heroic destinies, which was sorely needed. (15/07/2011)

A clear disappointment after the first viewing. As a big Scott fan, I was expecting a big return of the Master. Actually, visually it was "Scott" and the music was monumental as well, but the shallowness of the script was unpleasantly surprising and the stupid dialogues made my toes curl. Also, as someone who is somewhat interested in history, it made me laugh a lot. But I’m used to it already. I've accepted the fact that it's an ordinary popcorn movie, visually it's awesome, Joaquin Phoenix is great and so I won't go below four stars. (24/05/2002)

I used to hate this movie because I didn't like Scott or Crowe. I still don't like Scott much nowadays, but I love Russell Crowe because he's just a great actor. And even though I would like to rate the movie even higher, I can't because it simply contains elements that bother me. Like the unnecessary pathos. Even so, it's still a spectacular show. (04/04/2016)

Without exaggeration, the best historical movie ever made. Under Scott's direction, the film has the right pace and keeps growing incredibly over time. The script isn't anything special, a great fall and a subsequent rise, but I just can't help myself. When I factor in Crowe’s brilliant performance, Zimmer's excellent soundtrack as usual, and great visual effects, it goes straight to my list of favorites. (25/07/2012)