I Finally Watched ‘Gladiator’
Gladiator takes us to the height of the Roman Empire. When a decorated general is betrayed by a corrupt emperor, he has to work his way up from the bottom to seek his revenge.
This film won five Academy Awards and was nominated for a bunch more. Director Sir Ridley Scott and stars Russell Crowe as Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix as his foe, Commodus, create an impressive combination.
This is my first time watching Gladiator and I was struck by just how many other films have borrowed from it. Everything from Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones to 300 and more were all clearly influenced by this film. Not to mention, the score for The Pirates of the Caribbean was borrowed from this film.
It was so fun watching Gladiator 24 years after its release because I was able to find all of these moments that had been recreated in other films. Not to mention all of the gifs and memes that draw from this iconic film. It’s clear that it has had a lasting cultural impact — so much so that we’re getting a sequel later this year.
But I thought the film was okay. There are definitely some really great things in Gladiator, but I definitely didn’t connect with it as much as I think I was meant to. For me, this leans so heavily into the spectacle and didn’t spend enough time developing the characters that we’re following.
My struggle with connecting to the story makes sense after reading about all of the turmoil around writing the screenplay. They were still working on the script while filming was happening and a lot of lines were ad-libbed by the actors. Thankfully the team was able to pull together a coherent story that you can follow.
I think I wanted more. The characters are so easily divided into the good guys and the bad guys that you know who you’re supposed to root for, even though there’s not a lot to many of them. I think more three-dimensional and complex characters would’ve improved this film.
Russell Crowe in Gladiator | Credit: Universal Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures
One aspect of Gladiator that impressed me is that Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) has quite a bit to do in this film. Early in the film, her father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), remarks that if she had been male, then she would be a great Caesar. She is clearly the one who is better suited to ruling a nation. But because she’s a woman, that’s never going to happen.
Despite her station, she’s going to help out as she’s able. Throughout the film, she does things behind the scenes to help push the plot forward. The more unhinged her brother gets, the more she is forced to make difficult choices. And Gladiator really highlights those, especially in the second half.
We see just how difficult a position Lucilla is in and it’s fascinating to watch her try to use her cunning to mitigate the risks that she’s being forced to take. It’s great to see such a powerful and strategic woman in a film that’s so male-dominated.
The other part of the film that I absolutely loved was the score. Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer were able to come together to create something that’s incredibly special. It hits every note (pun very much intended) perfectly to heighten every emotion that the film is trying to evoke in the audience.
Djimon Hounsou and Russell Crowe in Gladiator | Credit: Universal Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures
Gladiator is an incredibly iconic film that has really influenced action films and it reinvigorated the historical epic in the years after its release. It also won five Oscars and many other awards. After all of that, it’s interesting that we’re getting a sequel all these years later.
Will Gladiator II be this year’s Top Gun: Maverick? We will see in a couple of months!