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We all have holes in our pop culture awareness. As a film critic, I generally feel that I have a professional responsibility to fill my personal holes… but there are only so many hours in a day, and there are new movies that premiere every single week. This is my baseline excuse for why I never watched Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. I didn’t see it in theaters back in 2000, even amid all the critical acclaim and Academy Award success, and once all of the “must-see” buzz wound down, I simply never found myself struck with the thought, “Hey, I should finally get around to watching Gladiator.”
One could say that I lacked significant motivation to fill that hole in my pop culture awareness – but with Gladiator II set to be released in theaters on Friday, I finally got the push I needed this week. Nearly two-and-a-half decades after it first debuted on the big screen, I hit play on the sword-and-sandal epic, and I walked away with a collection of standout thoughts about the film and its legacy.
There’s Plenty In Gladiator That Still Felt Fresh Despite Its Pop Culture Status
Part of the problem with missing out on iconic movies is that they can seep into your consciousness via osmosis. While a regular movie-goer might never sit down to watch Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining or Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, they’ve likely experienced the entirety of both films in the aggregate via references, homages and parody in other works. I wondered if this phenomenon could potentially have a diminishing impact on my viewing of Gladiator, but I was pleased to discover that it didn’t.
There were moments are lines in the film that I obviously recognized (more on them in a minute), but I was surprised how fresh the story in Gladiator felt as it unfolded. I didn’t anticipate each step of Maximus’ journey as he carved his path from general to slave to hero, and I was able to appreciate all of the dramatic weight in his mission to avenge his slain family and return the Roman Empire back to the vision of Marcus Aurelius.
In regard to expectations, the main hype about the film that got to me pre-screening regarded the arena sequences and Hans Zimmer’s excellent score, and neither disappointed. Nobody blends thrilling action and historical verisimilitude like Ridley Scott, and Zimmer’s music is a vital accent throughout, underpinning the gravitas in dramatic sequences and raising stakes amid battles and Maximus’ attempted escape.
The Most Iconic Moments Don’t Sorely Stick Out As I Expected Them To And Maintain Weight
While I didn’t specifically anticipate any major sequence in Gladiator, there are certain lines and moments that I always knew were coming – the biggest among them being Maximus’ declaration, “Are you not entertained?” and the big thumbs-down from Commodus. Pop culture can have a way of sucking the life out of these cinematic bits (“I drink your milkshake” from There Will Be Blood and basically the entirety of Napoleon Dynamite spring to mind). In the case of Ridley Scott’s 2000 film, I was pleased to only recognize the in-context impact and ignore the memeification.
The internet has reduced some of Gladiator’s most dramatic moments to punchlines, but I’ll offer proper credit to Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix for captivating delivers that allow one to put aside pre-existing connotations from social media.
I’m Surprised That I Wasn’t Spoiled On The Fate Of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus
In the 24 years that it took me to watch Gladiator, one significant spoiler did make its way into my brain: I knew that Maximus wasn’t going to be alive by the time the end credits started to roll. Frankly, this plot development was unavoidable in the run up to the release of the sequel (if not just because I noticed nobody was asking, “Why isn’t Russell Crowe coming back?”). That being said, in addition to not knowing the details of Maximus’ death, I also didn’t know the fate of Commodus, and I was excited to thusly find the stakes of the climactic final showdown perfectly intact during my screening.
Despite Ridley Scott’s integrity when it comes to historical details, the idea of Maximus and Commodus having a public duel did strike me with a feeling of incredulity, but I also feel that the film earns it – both because of the anger and arrogance of the Roman emperor and because of the throwback style of dramatic storytelling. Commodus stabbing his opponent pre-fight is an effective way of evening the playing field, and it left me legitimately unsure if Maximus’ victory would come from slaying his enemy or dying as a martyr. It’s ultimately a tough and brutal scuffle with the perfect conclusion: Commodus losing the loyalty of his men while mewling for a sword and then getting killed with his own dagger.
I Feel Ready To Watch Gladiator II But Not Specifically More Eager
Given that we are just days away from the release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, I am very happy that I finally filled the hole in my pop culture knowledge, and I am even more thrilled that I was able to immensely enjoy the film even with the extreme expectations that traditionally come with titles that receive the Academy Award for Best Picture (as an aside: within the pool of nominees from the 2001 Oscars, I would have voted for it – although Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is significant competition that I can’t totally dismiss due to the potential of recency bias). Now being familiar with the epic journey of Maximus Decimus Meridius, I feel wholly prepared for the follow-up story in the sequel… but I also can’t say that I am left with an enhanced eagerness.
Part of this stems from the fact that Gladiator is an epic but contained narrative. It executes a full and satisfying arc for its protagonist, and beyond the general fate of Rome in the aftermath of Maximus’ declaration, it doesn’t leave any standout threads dangling that demand a sequel. It’s a satiating meal unto itself that doesn’t compel me to instantly ask for seconds – and it makes me understand why it took Ridley Scott a near-quarter-century before deciding to make the follow-up. I will definitely see Gladiator II in theaters (I certainly don’t plan to wait until the year 2048), but I’m happy to let the first movie marinate in my brain through opening weekend and catch it on the big screen in the wake of Thanksgiving.
For those of you who wish to revisit Gladiator yourselves in advance of the sequel’s theatrical release, the film is available on 4K UHD, is streamable with a Paramount+ subscription, and can be rented/purchased digitally via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango At Home and Apple.