'Gladiator' gets four thumbs up
By Kristie Edwards
Staff Writer

     The movie “Gladiator” seems to be the typical summer flix. It has a hero fighting a villain, a love story and an emotional kissing scene.  And lots and lots of violent fight scenes and bloody massacres. And, to marvelous special effects and exotic location. However, this movie has something that the normal summer flicks does not have and this is a great plot with somewhat believable characters, in addition to the most awe-inspiring fight scenes that I have ever seen in film.

     The basic conflict commences once the Roman general Maximus (Crowe) is asked to be the successor of the dying emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris).  While Maximus is torn between ruling Rome and returning to his family. Aurelius’ son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) is furious at his father’s decision. So Commodus kills his father and becomes the rightful king of Rome. Shortly afterward, Maximus is sentenced to death by the new king and barely escapes his fate only to find his family dead in his absence. Through a series of strange events Maximus is sold into slavery and forced to become a gladiator. He is so successful that he ends up at the Roman Colosseum and is determined to be champion to fight his nemesis Commodus.

     What I liked about the movie was the believability of the main character. He was a warrior who was loyal to Rome and would unleash hell to protect it. However, he was a husband and father who would rather farm with his family than be on a battlefield fighting for the survival of Rome. Crowe was magnificent because he showed the strength of this character as well as unveiling his sensitive side to an audience. Maximus can be compared to William Wallace in “Braveheart.” They both are the underdogs who achieved greatness. They both fought passionately to protect their mother country and both of them have lost loved ones.

     The villain Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix was also believable. Usually in movies we never see the origin of the villain’s anger. But in this movie we know why Commodus is so angry at the world. Not only did his father pick a solider over his own blood to be king. His father’s love, devotion and loyalty to Maximus made Commodus jealous. We see through the portrayal of Phoenix that Commodus only wanted to be loved by his father. But, his father never loved him like a son.

     “Gladiator” was fabulously engaging, but there were too many battle scenes and that kind of took away from the story. Every 10 to 12 minutes there was a battle sequence with confusing jump cuts. I wish the movie had focused more on Maximus and Commudus because they were the most engaging characters.  However, I enjoyed the battles in the Roman Colosseum. The director used arial shots and sound effects to make an audience feel like they were in the crowd cheering for the gladiator. The one battle that I enjoyed the most was when Maximus had to fight three raging tigers and another gladiator at the same time. It seems so realistic because the director’s camera was right on the ground floor with the two gladiators.  I felt like I was battling tigers.

     All and all, I must admit that “Gladiator” was one of the most entertaining movies I have seen in a longtime. It is movie that allows you to escape from reality and just enjoy and be entertained by the stories of the past.

 Grade: A