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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
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Gladiator
Click on picture to Order This 2-Disc DVD Set A Techtite ReviewThe Film : It seems like this is the year for several one-worded movie titles (Frequency, Screwed, and so on). In the case of Gladiator, however, one word is all it needs; the excellence of the picture speaks all for itself. This is not only one of the best "Roman Empire" type movies I've seen, I'm sure that it will be the best film the summer season offers as a whole. It may even win any number of Oscars. The story involves Maximus (Russel Crowe), a powerful General of the Roman armies , who the aging Emperor admires even more than his own son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). It is the father's wish to turn the throne over to the General instead of his son, although Maximus is reluctant to accept. Commodus makes the decision easier, however, by secretly killing his own father! When Maximus does not bow to the wishes of the "new Emperor," he is sent to be put to death...and, obviously, escapes (in one of many action-packed scenes). When attempting to return home to his wife and son, before they are killed, he arrives too late...setting the stage for understandable desire for revenge. He passes out at his homeland due to a severe wound, only to be healed and led to a slave camp. These slaves are thrown into gladiator events to amuse the masses; the best of them will even be sent to Rome, to fight in front of the Emperor himself. Maximus sees this as the perfect opportunity to get close enough to the Emperor to exact revenge, so he enters the fights with gusto. With every win, he earns the respect of his fellow gladiator slaves, the audience, and even the Emperor's Sister, Lucilla (Connie Nelson). Soon, Lucilla is secretly visiting Maximus, in an attempt to overthrow her villainous, murderous brother. While the resulting finale is sort of a cross between Braveheart and Rob Roy, the trip there is nothing short of spectacular, and, yes, we get to see Maximus have his revenge. Huzzah! The true quality of any film, though, stems from its actors. Russel Crowe was truly snubbed by the Academy after L.A. Confidential, and was only nominated as the informant in The Insider. Many are hoping this is the role to give him the Oscar he deserves. Connie Nelson is perfect as Lucilla; quite surprising, when her breakthrough performances were as the devil's daughter in The Devil's Advocate, and as the female astronaut in Mission to Mars (talk about a diversity in roles!). Joaquin Phoenix does an equally excellent job, and may get a Best Supporting Actor nomination here and there. Even "small roles" are very well cast; an excellent acted epic. Violence in the film is not to be taken lightly, however. There's decapitation, gaping wounds, gushing blood, and realism in fighting galore. What Saving Private Ryan did for realism in War battles, Gladiator does for ancient sword fights, showing what they really must have been like. It often isn't pretty, and for some it might even be quite upsetting. However, it makes for an unforgettable epic picture; that much is certain. Gladiator is quite long, yet you'll hardly notice; even at 154 minutes, this film never loses its grip with the audience. Kudos must go to director Ridley Scott, whose best known directorial works range from modern-time action-dramas like Thelma & Louise and Someone to Watch over Me, to sci-fi thrillers like Blade Runner and the 1979 sci-fi classic, Alien. In this film, he shows that he can do classic epics as well. I'll definitely be looking for his name, and this film's title, during next year's Oscar nominations...if not mentioned, there may very well be a revolt! The DVD : 25 minutes of deleted scenes?!? Oh sure; like anybody would pass that up! As if an epic film wasn't long enough, this 2-disc DVD set includes 25 minutes of additional scenes to keep you busy, and much more! It's no surprise, then, that unlike most other films, the two-disc collector's edition is all that's offered, and not a more affordable one-disc-only version. Believe me, if you want to film on DVD, you want this version of the DVD! Still, with two discs to fiddle with, it would have been nice to have them offer the film in both its widescreen and full screen formats. Instead, the film format is Widescreen anamorphic exclusively, with the typical offerings of Dolby Digital Surround Sound, and closed-captioning for the hearing impaired. I was a little disappointed, too, at the commentary being by only Ridley Scott; couldn't Mr. Gladiator take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to offer a few anecdotes of his own...? Added features are plentiful, of course. HBO's behind the scenes special is offered, as well as (intriguing addition here) The Learning Channel's lessons on "The Bloodsport of a Gladiator." It makes sense that 2 DVDs leads to, of course, two behind the scenes featurettes. As if the 25 minutes of deleted scenes weren't enough, there's an additional 7 minute montage of additional unused footage. An alleged "one of a kind" production diary is offered, as written by the actor who plays Lucius in the film, Spencer Treat Clark. Hans Zimmer is also on hand for an interview, pertaining to the scoring of the film. These bonus materials are capped off with numerous photos preserved on the DVD, including a behind the scenes gallery and a slide show of concept art and storyboards. The end result is a disc that, if it doesn't coax you to see the film, I don't know what does. Critics who fumbled the ball and gave this film an undeserved "thumbs down" obviously can't correct the error at the eleventh hour, and yet I'd recommend they at least rent this DVD, and see how wrong they were. Those of us who liked or loved the film however, have another wonderful disc collection to buy...
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