Marcus Aurelius, the emperor of Rome is growing old; his son, Prince Commodus, has not grown into the man his father had hoped. Marcus Aurelius plans on making Rome a republic again and asks his general, Maximus to lead Rome to freedom after his death. Maximus, when not leading Rome's army, is but a simple farmer and family man. He serves his country, but wishes for nothing more than to see his family and sow his fields. Before the Emperor has a chance to announce his plan of naming Maximus his successor and his wish that Rome be a Republic again, he is killed by his son Commodus. By assassinating his father and stealing the throne Commodus averts the true wishes of his father. When Maximus refuses to pledge loyalty to Commodus he orders Maximus killed, along with Maximus's wife and son. Maximus escapes but is wounded. He finds his way home, but only to find his wife and son slain. He is then kidnapped and sold as a slave. He is purchased to become a gladiator, fighting for his life, his freedom, and eventually for Rome. With nothing left but the promise he made to the dieing emperor, you follow him on his journey. “The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor.”
The theme of this film is that of power, corruption, and betrayal. Maximus wants nothing more than to return home to his family; he wants no power and that is why Marcus Aurelius trusts him to make Rome a Republic again. When Commodus steals the throne and kills Maximus's family, he dooms himself by creating a man who has nothing left to lose and only a dying mans wish to fulfill. This is made powerfully clear in the movie when Maximus looks at Commodus and says, “Father of a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife and I shall have my vengeance in this life or the next.”
This moving could easily be compared to another classic journey, Troy. In Troy we follow Hector and Achilles to their fated battle, just as you can follow Maximus to the Coliseum and his battle with Commodus. In both cases it seems fate brings mighty men together and one must fall to the hand of the other. I enjoy Maximus's journey in Gladiator more than the story of Troy. The story in Gladiator focuses more on just Maximus, which allows you to make a firm emotional connection with him. In Troy the storyline is strong, but I feel torn between cheering for Hector or Achilles.
This movie has a great deal of strengths. It is action packed. The cinematography is amazing, especially during the battle scenes. The battles are hazed, and bloody, and took great advantage of high speed filming to slow down the action for theatrical impact. The musical score is also fantastic, winning a Golden Globe for Best Original Score by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. It is emotional, enveloping music, which pulls you in deep like a siren's song.
When I look for a weakness in this film, I struggle to find one. The only thing I felt could improve is pacing in the latter half. Some of the events between battles in the arena seem slow. In particular the scene in which Commodus is arresting or killing those whom he found plotting against him, it feels as if they are just quick filler shots. Some shots are almost confusing, like the scene in which you see one of the senators asleep and a dark figure creeps in and places a poisonous snake under his sheets. You never really see this senator do anything in the film to warrant him being killed but the scene is still there. Despite this, the film has a very compelling story.
This movie is a vivid, fantastic journey that will take you on a roller coaster ride to a stunning, climactic ending. Fall in love with Maximus for his enduring spirit and cheer for him as if you were sitting in the great Colosseum of Rome.
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