Gladiator (DVD 2000)

This is a lovely film which was a global hit. Russell Crowe was simply amazing in this from start to finish.

This is probably Ridley Scott's best ever film. The plot was superb and will ensure you watch this again and again.

The fight scenes are brilliant and sword fight excellent. The costume is extremely well done.

Plot -
Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the Gladiator games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge.

What to say about this amazing film. Amazing really.

This was a huge global hit and rightly so - it had thousands of people flocking back to the cinema for second viewing, let alone multi-viewing from DVD.

The film is set in 2nd century Rome and opens directly into a battle scene full of typical Roman violence. But the film goes so much further than this - it touches on family relationships both loving and screwy, on honour and integrity, on friendship and on civilisation as once was.

A tear jerker, satisfyingly great battle scenes and above all a feel good factor that takes a week or so to jade.

First thing first, this film looks amazing. The production values are obvious from the off, with the hugely explosive battle scene between the Romans and the barbarians of Germania. This high quality imagery reaches its epic peak with the later scenes set in the Colleseum, which I don't think anyone can disagree look astounding.
This is easily the best thing about the film.It's imagery and it's adrenaline pumping combat scenes are some of, if not the most gob-smacking you will see for years to come. Be warned though, as this film is immensely violent in it's fight scenes, with almost nothing held back in the gory arena battles.

I have to admit, the first time, and about three times after that, this film was 5 stars in my opinion. And if you have never seen this film before, I would recommend it without a doubt, especially if you are only planning to rent it, as it is an experience that, first time at least, will leave you gasping for more.

I, unfortunately though, am writing from the point of view of someone who has probably seen the film too many times. As my title suggests, the more you watch it, the more you start to notice plot holes, and things that generally do not go together quite as well as you thought they did when you first saw it.

Granted, some of the more obvious things that do not seem to add up have been added for dramatic effect, but you just relaise that that is not how it would happen in real life. Without ruining the plot, what the Emperor does at the end of the film, despite having a posible advantage, in my view was just plain idiotic. I cetainly would not have done it in his place.

In conclusion, this is a great popcorn actioner, which is almost immune to critisism the first time round, but does lose it's appeal after several viewings, when you look beneath the, very eye-catching, surface.

This is one of the best films of all time, a classic!
no matter who you are, what you like this film is a must have for every dvd collection.
at first the blood and gorge takes you by surprise but time after time it begins to show the brilliance of this movie. Russel Crowe plays the role amazingly and the end scene with him and joaquin pheonix will really make you want to bring out a box of kleenex(for men)with help from the films amazing soundtrack.
i would advise this film to everyone and anyone, unless you dont like seeing a severed head or men being beaten and murdered, but that kinda the whole point of the film as shown by the title.

The General Who Became A Slave.
The Slave Who Became A Gladiator.
The Gladiator Who Defied An Empire.

Forced into slavery by the corrupt, incestuous heir to the throne, Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe) becomes a Gladiator.
His prowess in the arena will eventually lead him to Rome, the Colosseum and a vengeful showdown with the new emperor...

As far as things go, i'm not a huge Russell Crowe fan, but in this movie he is fantastic.
Excelllent supporting roles also from Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Reed.
An absolute must from Ridley Scott, for any DVD collection.

This film still now never fails to bring me to tears. The scene setting by the producers of this masterpiece have been so well thought out you can almost feel you are there. It encompasses sadness, defeat, glory, love and a whole other range of emotions that can be felt through the characters.
I have just replaced my copy of this from vhs onto dvd so I can continue to enjoy this fantastic film.
And to top it off the soundtrack is brilliant!

This film sizzles from the start and the fight scenes are second to none. I can count on one hand the amount of times I have been to the cinema in the past few years and three of them were to see Gladiator, in all it's glory on the big screen. There's a lot of blood and gore but to my mind this is essential for it's realism. I am a boss and whenever I feel down and need inspiration I watch this film because throughout the film it shows the qualities and consequences of being a good and bad leader. But for Crouching Tiger I believe this would have got many more oscars

Released in 2000,this is quite possibly one of the greatest epics of its kind,regardless of the fact that alot of the basic ideas draw from stanley kubricks 1960 movie spartacus,this is essential moving drama with stunning battle scenes and a genuine movie villain who you really hope meets an untimely death.
Starring Russell Crowe as maximus decimus meridius,a roman general in the army,who after many a great victory in battle,decides to retire and head home to his family,but when marcus auerlius decides to step down from emperor he asks maximus to take over and thats when the trouble starts.
Without giving much more away,marcus' son commadus played by joaquin phoenix resents this idea,and basically underhand tactics take place,and maximus eventually becomes a slave,and from there rises again.
The film deals with the ongoing power struggle with the countys senate and government and the script is very strong,the acting is clinical and the visuals are powerful and with a very haunting musical score emotions get stirred up easily.The fight scenes are glorious are bloody and never gratitious,this is a film that feels real and hence the enjoyment is tenfold.
This is a film that will stand the test of time as many great epics have done in the past,if you havent seen this,then you aint seen a glimpse of near movie perfection.

A classic! Brilliant! A Must Have! Spectacular!

This film is a must have for every DVD collection.

Russel Crowe plays the role amazingly and the end scene with him and Joaquin pheonix Is truly brilliant. As long as you dont mind a bit (LOADS) of bload and murder then you will LOVE this film

Seriously, if you havent seen it yet? BUY IT NOW!

Rating: 5 out of 5

'Gladiator' follows the story of an army general in Roman times, who soon becomes a victim to a slaughtered family and a life as a slave..a Gladiator!
He fights his way through each battle with his heart until he can stand face-to-face with the man who called for the execution of his family and shattered his existence & freedom.

Its an incredible movie that is filmed with a dark and surreal atmosphere, capturing the movies content and features absoultely outstanding visual effects, in and out the battle scenes. The story line is strong and captures many emotions which is strongly driven by powerful music conducted by Hans Zimmer.

Some of the battle scenes are quite graphic and the scenes are at times extremely emotional for those who are the more sensitive type. But the movie is gripping from intro to a beautiful climatic ending.
This is a classic and is a must have in your action DVD collection.

Maximus (Crowe) is a respected warrior, a general loyal to the visionary emperor Marcus Aurelius (Harris). However, when Marcus Aurelius dies, Maximus is double-crossed by the dangerous, nay deranged, new emperor Commodus (Phoenix). All Maximus wants is to avenge his family.

After being sold to gladiator trainer Proximo (Reed, serving up his final role with brute nobility), the experienced soldier fights his way up the gladiatorial league charts until he's the darling of the Colosseum. The David Beckham of bloodshed. Soon he gets a chance to face the father-murdering, sister-loving cause of his woes - Commodus.

Ridley Scott's best film since Blade Runner, Gladiator magnificently revives a genre that seemed to have expired with Cleopatra in the mid-1960s.

Although it's essentially cobbled together from 19th century neoclassical paintings, Spartacus and The Fall Of The Roman Empire, Gladiator is given added oomph with judiciously-applied CGI, a solid script from David Franzoni (Amistad), John Logan (The Aviator) and William Nicholson (Shadowlands). Plus, in Maximus, Russell Crowe found his best role. The supporting cast is impressive too.

Released in 2000,this is quite possibly one of the greatest epics of its kind,regardless of the fact that alot of the basic ideas draw from stanley kubricks 1960 movie spartacus,this is essential moving drama with stunning battle scenes and a genuine movie villain who you really hope meets an untimely death.
Starring Russell Crowe as maximus decimus meridius,a roman general in the army,who after many a great victory in battle,decides to retire and head home to his family,but when marcus auerlius decides to step down from emperor he asks maximus to take over and thats when the trouble starts.
Without giving much more away,marcus' son commadus played by joaquin phoenix resents this idea,and basically underhand tactics take place,and maximus eventually becomes a slave,and from there rises again.
The film deals with the ongoing power struggle with the countys senate and government and the script is very strong,the acting is clinical and the visuals are powerful and with a very haunting musical score emotions get stirred up easily.The fight scenes are glorious are bloody and never gratitious,this is a film that feels real and hence the enjoyment is tenfold.
This is a film that will stand the test of time as many great epics have done in the past,if you havent seen this,then you aint seen a glimpse of near movie perfection.

I have this movie on VHS but having just moved to large format flat panel TV, I thought it best to go digital! Not only is this (in my mind) Russell Crow's finest performance but the storyline simply keeps you glued to the seat throughout, and not just for the first time you watch it either. As well as great cinematography, this move has to have one of the best opening sequences (easily rivalling that of Saving Private Ryan) and a fantastic sound track. If you are lucky enough to have a large TV with a surround sound setup, this is one of the best movies you can get, so make the most of it!

This is a wonderfull film and if there is anyone out there is thinking of viewing it for the first time I urge you to do so. The Gladiator is an epic journey and battle for one man Maximus (Russel Crowe) who's performance by the way is astonishing. The film has a blend of breathtaking computerised visualisions and graphics, an epic storyline, fantastic directing by Ridley Scott (black hawk down) and terrific acting. If i had to compare it to another film it would be breaveheart but in my opinion it even surpasses that. If you have already seen this film as i had before purchasing I advise you still to buy it as it will be a timeless classic and a must for any film collection.

This has to be one of the best movies i have enjoyed in my life time. I am one of those Star Wars fan, but if I can enjoy it, it means it has something good within.

This film has a great story line with you wanting to see revenge the whole film. The costumes and scenery were excellent and it had some great action scenes. If you have'nt seen it it's well worth watching it would definetly be in my top 100 of all time. If you like films such as Braveheart, The passion of Christ or Gangs of New York then this is a film for you. Russell Crowe is magnificent and Joaquin Phoenix makes a good "Baddy".all in all a thoroughly enjoyable film.

I didn't think much of this film. It has great visual effects, and use of props but i didn't think the story line was as good as it could have been. it didn't make me want to sit at the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next, there were to many mistakes in it ie. being able to see a 4x4 car in one of the arches in rome!

A classic film that deserves the Blu-ray treatment. Gladiator on Blu-ray is 5 times better quality than the DVD version with improved sound, picture and extras. Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, a Roman General who is betrayed and sold into slavery, his family slaughtered. Becoming a Gladiator, Maximus rises up through the ranks to perform at the Coliseum so he can get close to and claim revenge on the corrupt Emperor.

will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really didnt want to watch it because I thought it was a bit of a "boys flick" but it turned out to be a fantastic film, a good old heart rendering film!!!!

I bought this mainly because I love the work of Director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien..) and I really enjoyed this epic of roman times. Russell Crowe was so amazing in it, such presence and intensity of feeling portraying a Roman General reduced to a Gladiator by the jealous rage of a petty new Emperor; even then he refuses to give up without revenge for the deaths of his beloved family and to honour a dying wish from the former Emperor of Rome. The film gathers pace and even though it is quite a long film, the outstanding acting, directing and visuals keep you enthralled all the way.

Supurb movie - Russell Crowe doing what he does best - the tough guy. Great story and supurb action sequences to appeal to guys and yet enough emotion and feeling to appeal to the ladies. If there is someone out there who hasn't yet seen this movie - WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?

I watched this film really just something to do but i ended up really liking it but yes i cried at the end thats normal for me.
But the ending is happy and sad at the same time, so you want to be happy but then your sad because.. Watch this its a great movie.My partner even cried. Arrrrr

This is a great film for those who like to see fighting in the colosseum and the battles of the Roman Empire. Crowe is in excellent form as the Roman General who has it all and loses everything and everyone he loved. Joaquin Phoenix plays the slightly mad and power hungry emperor who battles against Crowe for the glory and love of the Roman people and also for the love of the Emperor's sister played brilliantly by Connie Nielsen. The movie is fantastic from start to finish but comes into it's own when it depicts the realistic and bloody battles between the gladitors and the blood thirst of the Roman Crowds of the Colosseums. great watch.