It's hard to heap praise on a film that everyone seems to love. It had been a while since I've seen it, but it's incredible how well it holds up, and in some ways surpasess nearly every modern action movie. It's almost sad how much they don't make them like this anymore, and every time I see a clearly CGI background or vehicle in a recent film, it reminds me of what we have lost in big budget blockbusters.
Heath…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Like everyone says it’s beautiful, the score is amazing and the fact that a movie with this kind of ambition and quality can be made on film, on a shoestring budget is in itself worth all the praise in the world. But in story and character it ultimately falls apart.
Guy Pearce is doing a wooden evil Walt Disney, trying to be Daniel Plainview and Lancaster Dodd in one but only really succeeding when he’s not speaking. Felicity Jones is…
I forgot how much movie there was before Maximus becomes a gladiator. After the setup it really just becomes a series of cool kills and light political intrigue but Joaquin Phoenix is delightfully creepy and whiny and Oliver Reed is hamming it up and I just ended up remembering why I watched it so much. The CGI is dated, but also smartly implemented so it's never distracting. It's slower than I remembered, has weirder editing than I remembered, but still just a classic popcorn flick.
