Can a spectacular Cecil B DeMille style epic bring greatness and adrenaline to the launching of the new millennium summer box office bonanza?

Russell Crowe stars as a stoic Roman General named Maximus who has been promised the throne of the Empire which angers the current Caesar's son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). When Caesar Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) passes on, a plot erupts to quickly deal with the "would be general-king" and let Commodus ascend to the throne. The plot dictates that Maximus will be beheaded before any word of his ascension can occur. Barely escaping his execution, Maximus tries to make it home before Rome can unleash its wrath upon his household. Just by mere seconds, Maximus is unable to save his family.

Exhausted and wounded, Maximus is thrown into slavery and goes on dreaming of what could have been. A small glimmer of hope seems to electrify him when he is faced with becoming a gladiator. By using his skills as a general, Maximus quickly becomes the toast of the arena. Maximus swears vengeance and brings his fame to the grandest arena in the land, the Coliseum. But as all historians know, "He who controls the Coliseum controls Rome." Director Ridley Scott was once called a directorial genius with huge range. Directing blockbusters ranging from "Thelma and Louise" to "Alien". Well with the birth of his Gladiator, he continues with his tradition of utter genius. The scope, magnitude and vision he has gathered together here make it a definite candidate for the best picture of the year. I know we are only in May but wait till you see it.

The other marvel in this film is the charisma of the film's star. Hollywood has finally given Russell Crowe a movie that he greatly deserves. His performance is very deep, stoic and reminiscent of Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" What I found more believable within Crowe was the fact that at one moment you could see his yearning to go home and the other blood-thirst as he cleaved his sword deep into his opponent's belly. Delivering that kind of scope in mere seconds amazed me. Sure Gibson delivered this kind of performance in "Braveheart" but for me he was always looks like a crazy man giving his all for freedom. With Crowe you see the tenderness and the precision of a general in that one or two seconds. That is what makes it so amazing.

The film's villain is right out of a Shakespearean/Greek tragedy. Phoenix's devilish grins and obsession with his sister is so delightfully evil that you yearn for Maximus to kill him. It's not often in Hollywood fare that we yearn a hero to slay the villain. Heck, you, me and everyone will want to kill this guy.

Take these brilliant performances and amalgamate them with a modern scope seen only in films like "Spartacus" and "Ben-Hur" and you get about half of what this movie is trying to convey. For me the other half was the adrenaline. You can feel yourself screaming for the blood just like a Roman. With some of my historical background I always thought the idea of people brutally fighting to the death day in and day out was barbaric and uncivilized. But that is the magic Scott has injected into Gladiator, you actually feel what those Romans felt as they screamed at the top of their lungs in the arena of champions.

I have never done this before as a critic but I really think this film deserves it. Its been such a long time since I have seen something this good.

(5.5 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.

Roman General Maximus vanquished the barbaric Germanians and for all of his troubles his Rome casts him into exile. Okay, so there is a little more to this. After emperor Marcus Aurelius abruptly expires his son and successor, Commodus, condemns Maximus to death. Commodus views Maximus as a direct competitor and therefore an enemy that must be squashed. After an extended period of wondering the vast deserts of the middle east, Maximus is sold into slavery as a Gladiator. The audience loves him... enough that he finally makes it to the coliseum in Rome to fight in front of 50,000 screaming spectators. It is here, in the coliseum, that Maximus confronts Commodus again and a tale that will remain for many years to come ensues.

Plot: The trio of screenwriters, David H. Fanzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson, had quite a task for themselves...an epic film like this one hasn't been made since the 60s. Through blood, sweat, and tears they created a script full of heroism, action, intrigue, romance, and all that other good stuff. Gladiator is basically the story of one man, who was wrongly imprisoned, seeking his vengeance. A story that has been used over and over again. The fact that the main character is a Gladiator and the story takes place in ancient Rome is an added bonus. But, what really separates this film from the other mainstream dribble is that the audience gets lost in the reality created by the writers. As soon as the first scene, the battle in Germania, comes up on the screen the "real world" no longer exists for the audience only the world of Gladiators and Emperors is real. *****(out of five)

Acting: Oscar nominated Russell Crowe (Maximus) has lived up to his hype. Every time the man is on screen the scene fills with intense emotion. Truly an actor to be remembered for ages to come. Joaquin Phoenix, brother of the late River Phoenix, is an actor to keep your eye on. His portrayal of the disturbed Emperor Commodus is eerie in its believability. His performance is equal, if not better than, Russell Crowe's. Plus, the pair work together very well. Based on this movie, you'd think they were out to kill each other in real life. This film was actor Oliver Reed's last, he died during the shooting of this film, but this film is one of the greatest he's ever been in. Reed played the role of Proximo, essentially the Don King of Gladiator fights, a man who was once a Gladiator himself who had been set free by the emperor previous to Commodus, Marcus Aurelius. If there is any one film Reed should be remembered for it's this one. *****(out of five)

Directing: Director Ridley Scott is known not for the quantity of his films, over his 38 year directing career he has only directed 12 movies and 2 tv shows, but the quality of his films. Scott is the same man behind the camera on such classics as: Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, and The Duellists. In recent times, however, Scott has had a series of so-so productions: G.I. Jane, White Squall, and 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Gladiator is a step into the shining light of Ridley's great films of the past, in fact Gladiator is one of his best movies to date. Scott has always had a great eye for realism, which is most apparent in his futuristic dystopia in Blade Runner, and because of this the audience becomes swept away in his tales. Gladiator is, of course, no exception. There is no intricate detail of ancient Roman society unturned. But the major improvement in Gladiator from all of his previous films is pacing. In comparison to his brother's, Tony Scott, directorial work (Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State) Ridely has slow-paced films. The pace in Gladiator is not too fast or too slow, its, as goldilocks would say, just right. *****(out of five)

Music: Hans Zimmer, the composer behind just about every Dreamworks film, has been working himself very hard recently. With four films coming out this year, one already schedule for the 2001 season its very hard to prevent scores from sounding the same. Luckily for the audience the score to Gladiator is as an original. But not just that, its an excellent score that actually induces emotional responses to the images on the screen. Tension, anticipation, sadness, excitement,....etc. they are all there within the soundtrack. To some it up in one word the work is flawless. *****(out of five)

Special effects: Mill Film, the effects company for this picture, is practically owned by the Scott brothers so it came to no surprise that Mill Film was the company behind this picture. This film is the biggest production Mill Film has ever done in its short five year history. The biggest problem that the effects crew had to defeat was recreating the ancient city of Rome. Shooting modern-day Rome for ancient Rome was done in a handful of scenes, but modern day Rome is so different from ancient Rome the majority of the scenes that took place in Rome had to be augmented or fabricated digitally. The busy crews used every trick in the book: Models, digital replacements, matte paintings, smoke, mirrors, etc. Their work paid off, Rome, in this film, looks spectacular. My personal favorite effect was the recreation of the 50,000 seat coliseum, absolutely awe-inspiring. *****(out of five)

Bottom Line: Should I see this film? YES!! Right now! Its a film that your co-workers at the office or your friends at school will be talking about. You don't want to be left out, do you *****(out of five)