It's great to see that a movie like "Gladiator" found its way to the big screen in such a remarkable style. Roman theme movies have been missing for too long and now the genre is experiencing a comeback and it couldn't be in a better way.
"Gladiator", directed by movie genius Ridley Scott (who directed the sciece-fiction classic and personally my all time favorite science-fiction movie "Blade Runner"), is a tour-de force movie experience, unlike any other movie seen in perhaps decades. The story is based on a historical classic from the archives of the Roman Empire's greater times of world conquest and its main focus is a soldier named Maximus (performed by Russell Crowe's, whose performance is captivating and magical) who is a protege of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor. Maximus is the greatest soldier of the Roman army and wins the love and respect of the Emperor for his braveness and courage in the battlefield. But, I will not tell you the whole story.
What is key here is to talk about how well done this modern masterpiece is. From the top class editing to the fascinating art direction, from the beautiful original score to the captivating filming style (the floatting/space technique works wonders in this movie), "Gladiator" is one of those rare films that earns the distinction of "instant classic". People should be aware that all the violence in this movie is justifiable (that cannot be said of 80% of the action movies produced today in Hollywood), the scenes are very graphic and do not leave much room to the imagination. That is just fine with me, but only on an empty stomach. The only element I missed in this movie was the chance to see more of the grandiose of the Roman Empire. We get a glimpse of the city of Rome but leaves you with a desire to see more (this reminded me of the same feeling I had with "The Phantom Menace" where the civilization scenes look beautiful but all too short to enjoy, although this movie is all together no way near the grandiose of "Gladiator", definitely cannot be compared) and learn about how people lived. We root for Maximus' fight for his life and freedom while watching "Gladiator" but the ending is surprising and yet perfect, not your typical Hollywood ending (I hope I'm not giving away too much although chances are the whole country has seen this movie already).
"Gladiator" is a long movie (150 minutes long), but it serves a purpose without a doubt. And without a doubt, this is the best movie of the summer in a very long shot.

Grade:

Greg Lopez