First off, the whole mood and lighting of the movie is incredible. It is dark and cold when in Germany and the marbled and grey Rome is astonishing to look upon. When watching Commodus talking to his sister in his palace the grey light makes him look like the alien he is and the dry and hammering sun in the African setting really makes you believe you are in an oasis in the dessert. When Commodus returns to Rome as the emperor the almost the entire city is CGI but it looks fantastic. I almost can't tell that the big buildings and the sea of people are computer made.The Colosseum is still to this day looking like how I picture the Colosseum would look like. I do though think that the city as a whole is to clean. The costumes, clothing and props are amazing. The Weapons are simply stunning and fit the scenery perfectly. In the different gladiator battles the weapons and great looking armors all ad color and variation to the movie as a whole and make it more correct in my book. Though the story is not really close to anything that seemed to happen in real life, but it all seems to me like it could have happened cause everything looks and feels so real.
The first battle in Germany is an incredible sight to behold. You are never in doubt that the Romans are indeed fighting some barbarians with no strategic ability at all. You watch as a well oiled war machine fulfilling it's purpose. You see a forest bathed in fire with dying soldiers in it and cut to Maximus and his cavalry storming through the woods yelling "Hold the Line".
That brings us to the casting and to me it could not had gone any better. I really hate Commodus and that is a credit to Joaquin Phoenix. Commodus is crazy, paranoid and distant to the people around him. Connie Nielsen is flawless in her performance as Lucilla and you sense right from the start that she hasn't let go of her dream of Maximus now that her husband is dead. Oliver Reed and Richard Harris, The old breed, are perfect for the rolls given to them. When Proximo and Maximus talk about going to Rome and the arena you feel Proximo's passion for the game and his lust for glory where he once was a god of the arena. He looks the part of a veteran Gladiator with scars and a stocky body and his acting fits his angry but yet carrying persona great. Harris as the old dying emperor is as always astonishing. Like in the first Harry Potter movies and The Count of Monte Cristo he plays the part as the wise old man to perfection. His voicing during dialog is soft and weak but he still holds that same thing like the grandfather whom everybody listens to at the dinner table, sort of a respect in his voice. The gladiators around Maximus show the diversity in gladiators. You get the fast African hunter, the big German barbarian, the writer who soils himself and the Veteran Gladiator Tigris of Gaul played by Sven-Ole Thorsen. Then off course Russel Crow is playing his part to perfection. His vocal tone fits the role brilliantly and his physical presence is with his dark hair and not to big of a body makes him an underdog like character in appearance.
The dialog in the movie is really well written. Maximus' speech to the cavalry before the opening battle his phenomenal and gives me chills every time. Commodus' angry rant at his siter near the end the "Am I not Merciful" part shows his desperation and jalousie towards a man lower than him in every way. I could name countless lines and they are all great but one thing is better than anything else in this movie!
This soundtrack is the best one ever made to a movie ever. Hans Zimmer created a masterpiece. His music constantly supports the visuals throughout the entire movie and some of the pieces are outright once in a lifetime music. The Battle on the Soundtrack is just on its own the best score ever written. the thing about it is that it can stand alone. You are inside the battle and then you jump to Maximus pumping up his men and cavalry. You go in and out of emotions and the dynamics are perfect for a battle scene and the preparing for battle. This piece of music shows just what fitting music does to a movie. it enhances everything and makes it better. The last two songs on the soundtrack should be heard in succession as they finish of the movie in magnificent style. While Juba buries Maximus' small figures of his wife and son in the bloody sand at the arena Zimmers soft tones lay like a blanket underneath everything, and as Juba walks out of the arena saying "Not Yet", Lisa Gerrard's vocals raises the blanket up to the sky over Rome and walk you out with the stunning view of the sun setting on Rome, into the credits. A perfect ending to and amazing movie.
This leads on to the biggest screw-job in academy award history. How the hell did Hans Zimmer not get an Oscar for the scor? I think the academy was afraid of ending up with another year like 1995 where Forrest Gump got almost all the major awards and The Shawshank Redemption, whom I think turned out to be a better movie in the long run, didn't get any awards at all. But from thinking that thought and then letting Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, win for best scor is miles apart. This was a down right robbery and you can't even give the reason that Chrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon only had one award. Croucing Tiger, Hidden Dragon had 4 at the end and though I will say it's not a bad movie, what went one right there was stupidity and total bullshit. The academy didn't even give the award to the second best scor The Patriot. What the fuck were they thinking about. How can a movie win for best sound mixing and then not get the one for best scor, when the soundtrack aka. the score is 50% of the sound that's mixed. If I was in Zimmer's shoes I would have walked out or would've done a Kanye West, and simply storm the scene and take what was mine.
A sad ending to a masterpiece, but let's not forget how good this movie is. Gladiator is one of the best movies ever!
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