Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray If Stephen Spielberg and team redefined the war picture in 1998 with Saving Private Ryan, Ridley Scott and team certainly performed similar magic for historical epics.įor another look at Gladiator as a film, be sure to revisit David Krauss' lovely review of the original Blu-ray HERE. Personal, riveting, and thrilling, I love Gladiator for its characters and production design and, of course, the expertly executed action sequences that drop modern pacing and sound design into one of cinema's oldest genres. This, in and of itself, is fascinating because these computer-generated images and composites were produced long before anything could be rendered in 4K resolution. Gladiator certainly utilizes visual effects to expand its universe, but compared to 2018 studio films, Gladiator feels more tangible and tactile save for wider establishing shots and moments where it was unsafe to pair actors and animals. Epics like Lawrence of Arabia or Bridge on the River Kwai are all the more thrilling because they use practical sets and special effects. In revisiting the film for this review, I was also struck by how grounded the film's production seems compared to current blockbuster filmmaking. Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, Tommy Flanagan, and Richard Harris - are you kidding me? It's classic Hollywood filmmaking in all the best ways. And, alongside revenge fantasy catharsis, we joyfully dine on lavish production designs, glorious desert vistas, thrilling set-pieces, and an international cast of impeccably drawn side characters.
The story is simple, yet relatable we've all had a Commodus in our life - the school bully, the vindictive boss, the corrupt politician - so we can't wait to see him get what's coming to him. Gladiator opens with its grandest set-piece and slowly whittles its way down until we are left only with a hero and villain fighting for their lives with one small blade. Lesser examples, many of those greenlit in the wake of Gladiator, make the mistake of focusing primarily on visuals and battles, where the only emotional stakes are hordes of CGI extras. Like the best entries of the genre, Gladiator manages to tell an intimate, personal, character-driven journey on the largest canvas possible. It was a revelation about the power of cinema and visual storytelling in their purest, grandest forms, especially when experienced on a proper screen. From Gladiator, I sought out Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur and Spartacus and The Ten Commandments and Patton and anything else I could see in large formats like 70mm and VistaVision and Cinemascope.
#Blade runner the whale real or fake 4k movie#
In each city, over three semesters, Gladiator was with me, unspooling on screens large and small.Īt the time, my professors hated the movie for its box office and award season successes, but for me, it was a genuinely emotional experience and an eye-opening gateway into the historical epic film genre. I was still in college during its theatrical release and, that year, my theater and cinema studies took me from Allentown to Los Angeles and London. Written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson, and directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator is a touchstone movie for me. Loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius.Īnd I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. Until he learns that the most popular and successful gladiators will get a chance to meet the Emperor himself.Ĭommander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, Exhausted, broken-hearted, and delirious from an infected wound, Maximus soon finds himself as a slave who must fight for each day of his life in rural gladiator games. Maximus escapes his execution, but is unable to save his wife and son. And, when Maximus suspects foul play and refuses to pledge allegiance to the new Emperor, Commodus sentences Maximus to death. Before Maximus can change his mind, the Emperor's cowardly, narcissistic son, Commodus, murders his father in a jealous rage and assumes the throne.
Maximus declines, which is exactly why Marcus Aurelius wants Maximus to lead. Run Rome as (temporary) Emperor when Marcus Aurelius dies and transfer the power back to the people. Rome has conquered the world and Maximus can go home to his wife and son, but Emperor Marcus Aurelius needs Maximus for one more mission: With this victory in hand, the war is over. Russel Crowe stars in Gladiator as Roman General, Maximus Decimus Meridius, a brave and valiant man who leads his armies to defeat the savage Germanic tribes of 180 A.D.
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