Gladiator

I’ve been meaning to watch this film for ages but it took for me to hear the hype from my friends and my history teacher about the new one to think about watching it. Thank you to Aimee for lending me the DVD. I was honestly not expecting to like it all that much, I love history but I am more of a world war history person rather than the romans. It started off slow in my opinion. The battle at the start was very cool but I just felt like I didn’t really know what was going on. one main thing which I love about this film is the set and prop work, its actually phenomenal. The cinematography during the first fight was a bit weird but it makes sense as it’s showing the chaotic nature of the battle. Maximus cutting that guys head off against the tree was so cool. I was kinda confused to who the old guy was that it kept cutting to but that does get explained. He is Marcus Aurelius (I am having to google these names, that is one thing I could not keep track off in this film, i knew maximus and commodus and that’s about it) who is a genuinely lovely character, he feels real and he feels warm, he is so sweet towards Maximus and treats him as his own son which I really like. He seems like a decently aware leader and then reveals that he wants maximus to become the new leader when all maximus wants to do is go home! This scene was so heavy, no one is happy. Marcus’ son is not becoming the new leader, maximus just wants to go home and Marcus wants to pass it on. Then, Commodus and Marcus have a heart to heart, really sweet talk and oh, awk they are hugging.. really tightly.. oh. Oh no, he’s killing him. Marcus is dead, everyone told it was natural. Then one of the coolest scenes at the start, Maximus is told he is going to be killed, he requests a hero’s death BUT NO HE DOES A REVERSAL AND KILLS THEM ALL. bro threw a sword at someone and it actually pierced them, that’s skill. Then he tries to get to his family but he’s too late, that scene was so sad, his wife and son burnt and crucified, him falling asleep at the graves is so sad and then, He becomes a slave, is bought, becomes a gladiator. We meet my favourite character who I don’t even know the name of, the black guy (google says his name is Juba) he is genuinely so sweet and so wholesome. I absolutely loved when they fought together. Then the scene where maximus shouts “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED”. I genuinely did not know it was from this movie, I thought this movie was the one with “THIS IS SPARTA”. The fights in this film are so insanely cool, my favourite death was when that one girl got chopped in half by the chariot. I HATED Joaquin Phoenix’s character so bad. He was so creepy, at first I felt bad at the start but as it went on he got so much worse. He was such a perv to his SISTER. That scene where he was touching her lips and then licked his fingers made me feel so sick. Also that one senator who looked like Paul breach. I loved how the crowd loved maximus, first as the Spaniard and then as maximus and I loved how much Commodus hated it. I also feel like I didn’t completely grasp the politics behind the film. I absolutely loved the humour in the film, the scene where the big guy ate from maximus’ plate and pretended to be poisoned was genuinely so sweet and wholesome and funny and when the messenger boy with the scars (love him) gave maximus his little dolls of his wife and son and he kissed them and Juba is asking about what he says to them and he tells him that it’s none of his business what he says to his wife. So lovely and funny. Then as it progress, maximus slowly becomes a Martyr and they start conspiring. The scene where commodus finds out makes me sick, I feel so bad for his sister. Then Maximus tries to flee. The poor poor big guy is killed. Thankfully my GOAT, Juba survives. Then maximus gets out, sees his messenger who GETS HUNG THEN SHOT. I was so insanely shocked, I was so upset, that poor guy, he was so innocent. BRO THEN THE WORST THING, HE IS CHALLENGED TO A DUEL BY COMMODUS, who is A PRICK. When he said about how Maximus son and wife reacted to being tortured, I felt so angry and I’m so glad maximus gave him nothing, queens don’t cry. He then is STABBED BY COMMODUS AND THE WOUND IS HIDDEN. But my absolute goat, maximus (also Russel Crowe is such an insanely good actor but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in anything else) still beats the absolute crap out of him, even while commodus still cheats, I loved the scene where no one gave him a sword. Beats him up, I was actually joyful, I was jumping for joy, kicking my legs, twirling my hair. Amazing. Maximus sees his house gates and is told by the sister to “go to them” and he goes. I am in tears by this point, he dies and then I think the senator asks “who will help carry him” and they all come forward. ALSO that slave guy, I cannot remember his name (google says proximo) his death was so sad, he became a good man and died with his sword of freedom. Then the saddest scene of the whole film, Juba, my absolute goat, buries maximus wife and son statues. That made me actually bawl. He is so sweet and I am so glad he lived because he said about how he wanted to live with his family. I was not expecting to love this film, I was honestly expecting to not really like it, but it was actually amazing, for 2000 it holds up pretty well 24 years later. I could make some complaints but nothing major, the cinematography was beautiful and I loved the sets and props. The characters felt real and I really liked them and I really hated who I was supposed to hate. Genuinely amazing film. Also the reoccurring theme of him rubbing dirt on his hands has to mean something. I have a few thoughts, he said that dirt was easier to wash off than blood so maybe we wanted to think of what he was fighting word, rubbed the dirt over his hands and then smelt it but I also thought of Pontius Pilate as he washed his hands to free himself from the sin. You could view it as he is killing because he has to and not because he wants to, this is also shown when he spares that retired guys life. Really amazing character, genuinely loved the film, I will be thinking about it for an while. I am going to see if I can go see no. 2 in cinema some point this week. Strength and Honour.