review: Gladiator: The Extended Edition

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

reference: http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=1142

[Fellfrosch]

I hate to be the neverending voice of dissent, but what little I've seen of Gladiator had atrociously muddy special effects. I can't comment on the story, since I have yet to see the entire movie, but the effects in the coliseum and whatnot are just...honestly, they're terrible.

[Spriggan]

the movie never impressed me that much either, I've never seen the whole thing though.  If I want to see Russel crow fighitng I'll just turn on "Russel Crow, Fight'n aro'nd th' Wor'd" with Tugga'.

[Tage]

I hated Gladiator, and extending it would only make it more unbearable. I guess the director figures we'll feel sympathetic for the main character if Crowe makes earnest enough faces, because the writers sure weren't concerned about it.

[Skar]

Wow.  You guys are nuts, if I may be so bold.  Gladiator was great.

What adventure/epic films have you liked in the past?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I hate to remind you (well, no I don't) but I thought Gladiator was kind of a stinker. The directing was poor, the cinematography worse, and the character were so flat you couldn't see them if they turned sideways.

[Fellfrosch]

Like I said, I haven't seen enough of it to comment on the story or characters. I will say, however, that it's not a genre I really like--I thought Patriot was an affront to peace and sanity, and I didn't even like Braveheart very much. My bad flavor in my mouth from Braveheart and its ilk, plus the horrid effect shots in Gladiator, made me pretty much decide that I had no interest in seeing the whole thing.

I loved LotR, though, which is in the same "epic adventure" territory, so maybe there's hope for me. And I loved Spartacus, which is another sword and sandal epic. I don't know.

[Tage]

I love adventure/epic superhero movies, such as Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, and Unbreakable. But, I also hated Braveheart, and had no interest in the Patriot. Maybe my distaste is just toward historical epics, because I think they take themselves too seriously.

I did enjoy Saving Private Ryan, though I don't know if that counts for this category.

[Fellfrosch]

Ooh, I loved Last of the Mohicans. And I thought Legends of the Fall was pretty good, though that was more of a family legacy epic than a war epic.

[Entsuropi]

I love gladiator. Sparticus is a good oldie, last of the mohicans was good enough, Private ryan wasn't bad from what I remember and Braveheart is good as long as I remove my brain.

[Patrick_Gibbs]

Both "Gladiator" and particularly "Braveheart" owed much to "Spartacus," (which is a great film, even if it's own director, the late Stanley Kubrick, isn't that fond of it.). I can where "Gladiatro" may not float everyone's boat, but to say that's it's badly directed just makes no sense. What on earth would you consider an example of good direction, if this is your standard of bad?

[Skar]

I'm seeing two distinct categories here.  It seems that most people here can be divided into two groups; those that enjoy heroics the most when they are safely removed from reality (spider man, xmen, last of the mohicans etc...) by a truly gigantic suspension of disbelief and those who enjoy heroics most when they touch closely on reality.

I know that I would get endless arguments about how closely gladiator did or did not remain true to the roman history of the time period, blah blah blah, my point is that it doesn't involve people who can shoot webs out of their wrists or elves.

I for one didn't find the characters flat at all.  No doubt I informed them with baggage I brought to the film and thus mistakenly thought the writers did a good job.

There's no accounting for people's taste, hey?

[Fellfrosch]

Why do you separate Mohicans into the fantasy category? It struck me as much more plausible and believable than Braveheart.

[Entsuropi]

Randomly: I wasn't aware that American Indians have some kind of resistance to muskets that allowed them to charge regiments of redcoats with more soldiers than them and win easily

[House of Mustard]

That's just the redcoats for you.  American Revolutionaries had the same magic powers in The Patriot.