A Hollywood epic at its best...and worst

SPOILER WARNING...IN CASE YOU NEVER SEEN THIS MOVIE!

"Gladiator" is a Hollywood epic at its best: an action-packed adventure story with good guys versus bad guys, and some kind of uplifting moral message. Since it was made just a few years ago, the special effects are just fabulous. It's also a Hollywood epic at its worst: historically inaccurate and completely unrealistic.

In other words, brace yourselves for a real treat!

The main character, the righteous Roman general Maximus, is appointed emperor by an ailing Marcus Aurelius, who wants to stop his crooked son Commodus from taking power. Commodus, true to form, strangles the old man to death and has Maximus sold as a slave to a gladiator school, after first having butchered his family. Unfortunately for Commodus, Maximus nevertheless reaches Rome and the stage is set for a final combat between the two protagonists. Yes, Commodus himself challenges Maximus to a fight to the death at the Colosseum! Guess who wins? In the end scenes, the Roman senate restores power to itself as a dead Commodus lies on the arena. Maximus dies, too, but is immediately taken to Heaven where his family is already waiting for him.

I don't deny that "Gladiator" is a great movie. But no, don't base a term paper about Roman history on it, please. Marcus Aurelius was an average Roman emperor who would have been quietly forgotten except by specialists, had it not been for his philosophical work "Meditations", arguably the most known and least read book in history. I tried to read it some time ago, and found it part unreadable, part morbid and pessimistic. Haven't you read it yet? You haven't missed much, citizen, I assure you. Yet, this work has earned Marcus Aurelius the reputation for being some kind of deep thinker and saintly man, when he was just another Roman dictator. And no, he had absolutely no plans to give power back to the senate (which wasn't elected anyway). In fact, he appointed Commodus his co-ruler!

"Gladiator" is probably more correct when it paints Commodus as a villain - he had that reputation already during his lifetime. Indeed, it was Commodus, rather than his father, who was murdered by strangulation. Roman chronicles also claim that Commodus fought as a gladiator for his own higher amusement. Commodus is one of the few Roman emperors denied posthumous deification by the senate, showing how hated and unpopular he was. (This seems to have been one of the few effective powers the senate had during this time.)

But what about Maximus? I must say that Maximus is the least believable character in the entire movie. But then, heroes never are believable, are they? There was very little morality in the Roman Empire, a system based on slavery, wars of conquest and super-exploitation of the peasantry. Not to mention the blood sports, the persecutions of Christians, mass crucifixions and what not. In order to make Maximus a morally upright person, "Gladiator" has to portray him almost as a Christian! He prays to his gods or ancestors in Christian fashion, acts a bit like Jesus "turning the other cheek" before smiting his enemies, and ends up in Heaven.

If only.

Despite these inaccuracies (which I as an annoying smart alec just have to point out), I nevertheless recommend this movie. Ave!