Gladiator
“Are you not entertained?” -Maximus
Was there really any other quote that it could have been? For a movie lover like myself, it seems to always come as a surprise that I have never seen the movie Gladiator and with the second coming out this week, what better time? Now I will be honest, the reason I didn’t watch this sooner is because I felt like I knew what it was going to be. After watching it, I feel like I was right. Now, it is objectively a great movie and directed incredibly, especially since it came out 24 years ago, but my red flag in movie watching has to be that these movies don’t do a lot for me. It's epic and the action is great, but something about it just doesn’t get me going. I am glad I watched it and regret it in no way. Some shots were amazing and I finally understand why people love Russell Crowe. With all that being said, I don’t know how a second fits in and that makes me really nervous for Gladiator 2, but that review is for a different day! Z and E, don’t hate me for this review!
-J
Another movie from my childhood DVD collection. Gladiator holds a special place in my heart, not only from all the watches, but peak Russell Crowe looked a lot like my dad when this came out. Watching it all these years later definitely highlights some of its flaws: weird effects, over explanation, and scenes that are too long and over dramatic, and obviously a very straightforward, stereotypical plot. That said, it’s impossible not to love it anyway. That must have been at it’s release too, as its 67 Metacritic score still landed it 12 Oscar Nominations and a Best Picture win. There’s just something about it. Of course it’s anchored by two all-time performances - Crowe and Joaquin. This was the first movie I ever saw Joaquin in and he’s still just as transfixing all these years later as he was then. I was also confused on the nature of a sequel, but upon reading that Lucius was going to take up the Gladiator helm, that makes sense actually. Tentatively excited for it. Stay tuned.
-Z
