The opening scenes are of an army preparing for battle. They are unsure and are preparing their weapons and fortifications. Everything is ready. The Roman general prepares his battle plans and gives last minute orders to his officers. They wait for their envoy/scout to return with news of the enemy’s intentions. A horse and rider come galloping through the forrest towards their lines. The rider …. Strapped to the horse and headless! The enemy leader hoists the rider’s head aloft to the cries of his men and then tosses the head to the ground in front of him. The Roman General now knows the enemy’s intentions. There’s another bloody battle to be won before he can go home to his wife and son.
The massive catapults fire their payload of burning oil, the archers shoot their flaming arrows and the infantry advance towards the enemy’s front ranks, weapons at the ready. The Roman horse riders charge towards the enemy’s rear, swords flashing as they gallop. A bloody, brutal battle ensues! The smell of burning flesh fills the air. Arrows and spears impale their intended targets. Limbs are cut from their owners’ bodies, as sharp, flashing blades are wielded in the bright sunlight. All that can be heard are the cries of the wounded and the battle cries of the two opposing armies as they meet for hand to hand combat. Many die a bloody and brutal death that day and the battlefield is covered in blood.
All the while, the Roman Emperor watches from a hilltop, as his bravest, most loyal and trusted general (Maximus) fights hand to hand with the barbarian enemy. Blood on his sword and blood on his face, Maximus fights till the end and the battle is won. The battle over and the battlefield littered with the dismembered bodies and limbs and the soil soaked with blood, the Emperor goes to honour his brave general. Maximus is more like a son tot he emperor than a soldier. The soldiers regroup and the wounded are gathered up for treatment before any celebrations can begin.
An armoured carriage arrives, flanked by soldiers loyal to the passengers. The passengers are the emperor’s son (Commodus) and daughter (Lucilla). Commodus arrives and acts like the all conquering hero and when he wants to accompany his father on a victory tour of the troops, his father rejects him. His blood boiling and his heart full of jealousy and greed, Commodus plots his father’s demise and his own rise to power. He watches his ageing, ailing father mount his horse.
Commodus knows that his father doesn’t trust or want him to rule over Rome. He knows that his father wants to turn Rome into a Republic, which will be run by politicians. He wants all the power and will stop at nothing to get that power! The emperor’s fate has been sealed and he dies that very day … at the hands of Commodus, his scheming, jealous and incestuous son.
This is where the rest of the film and plot begin. This is where Maximus goes from General to slave and then to gladiator and hero. Because Maximus won’t swear allegiance to Commodus, his wife and son are murdered and Maximus is taken to be murdered. He escapes and swears vengeance on those that took away all that he loved so dear.
His family murdered and his home burned to the ground, Maximus falls into a feverish coma after burying his family. He dreams of joining his family in the afterlife. Maximus is found by a group of slavers and then sold to Proximo, a gladiator trainer. Proximo runs a gladiator training school and soon Maximus is his most prized and victorious gladiator. Maximus earns fame in the flea pit arenas in the local area and it’s not long before Proximo is contracted to supply gladiators to the mighty Colosseum in Rome.
That’s as much as I dare say about the film without spoiling the whole film for you! I hope that what I have written will give you a fair taster of what you can expect when you finally do see the film.
Along with the actual film you get another CD, which features some special features. This is the ‘Collector’s’ Edition and is well worth looking at!
The first extra feature is called ‘From the cutting room floor’ and it has 12 parts to it.
The making of Gladiator …. Behind the scenes of the Gladiator sets which shows you how the film was made. There’s interviews with members of the crew and the cast. You also get to see some of the tricks used in the making of the film.
Gladiator games – Roman blood sport …. Here’s a 50-minute, in-depth guide about the Romans and how the gladiators came to be.
Hans Zimmer …. This is about the guy who wrote the music for the film.
My Gladiator journal – Spencer Treat Clark (Lucious. This is the diary of the young actor who did so well playing the role of Lucious (Luccila’s son).
Still gallery …. Here’s a load of still pictures of settings, buildings, actors & much more that are all in the film.
Trailers and TV spots …. Your chance to see the various trailers and TV promotional footage that was used to promote the film.
Cast and crew …. Find out loads of information about the main stars of the film and the crew who made the film. Some very interesting reading here!
Production notes …. The words used when coming up with the trailers.
Well folks, that’s the complete run down of both the film and the Special Features CDs that are the DVD version of Gladiator. I know that this is a longish opinion, but I wanted to give you as much useful information about what you get when you buy the DVD version of Gladiator. One other thing that may be of interest to you about the package is the very informative ‘Production Notes’ leaflet that you get on the inside cover of the case. It basically, gives you a load of information about the locations used during filming, how the cast were chosen and a lot more besides.
That’s it, except to say that the DVD costs around £18 or less, is a certificate 15 and is an exceptionally good film to watch! Some scenes may make you feel a bit sickly because of the graphical nature of some of the scenes and special effects! My kids hid their heads when Maximus had maggots put on his shoulder wound! One thing’s for sure, there’s plenty of blood in the film!
Enjoy!