Ask Movie Slate - Episode 232 - Gladiator

It's always healthy and highly recommended to poke fun at yourself every now and then. It's no secret that it takes me a long while to update Ask Movie Slate, but there are good reasons for the hiatus in between updates (often related to family, health, time constrain, etc.) but the main one has to do with sharing. Whenever I post a new picture I'm often on my own to share it elsewhere, make the links, make sure it's submitted to all groups, do the Twitters, do the Tumblr, yadda, yadda, yadda. Sharing each new drawing on social media takes a while, and while this is not a bad problem to have I still sacrifice about two hours to do it all. That's two hours I am not working, so I parked updated and posting for a while to focus just on finishing artwork.

In the end this proved a good strategy, because my commission queue has diminished to the point of being completely cleared.

So, "Gladiator". For a long while I was conflicted about this movie. I didn't know whether I liked it or I hated it. I saw it in theatres when it first came out and I remember really enjoying it, even though some things didn't stick with me. I've watched it several times on both VHS and DVD, and after eighteen years of having this movie in my personal collection I can safely say I adore it. This movie is downright delightful. I love every frame, every shot, ever nuance and beat the movie has. It has a perfect combination of gentility and brutality. All the actors are fantastic, especially Russell Crowe (big fan, totally deserves that pointless Oscar) and Connie Nielsen (she's so good she can convey her whole life story with a single look). Joaquin Phoenix isn't far behind acting wise, though his character could've used a bit more fleshing out (they fixed this in the extended edition by making him both more fragile and more manic if possible). The visuals are just jaw-dropping, I mean come on guys, it's Ridley Scott. For a movie made when we were abusing of CGI here and there I'll say the special effects have aged really well, and it manages to be both gritty and bright at the same time. Love the costume design by Janty Yates, which is perhaps my absolute favourite costume design for any movie of the past twenty years. Hans Zimmer's music...what else can I say? He's great, he's one of the best music composers of our time.

So alright, you get the point, I love this film. It's got issues though. The story is very flimsy, and borderline fan fiction, and there's a couple of historical inaccuracies that even I have to scrunch my nose at. But none of these detract from what makes the movie so good, which are the characters and the presentation. Ridley Scott would say it best, this isn't a documentary, it's a movie. If you want accurate you have the History Channel for th-oh wait.

"Gladiator" is a wonderful spectacle of a movie that combines to perfection the talents of all of its actors and its director. It might have a weak story, but the moment the first sword comes down, the horses charge through the forest, and the fire and hell are unleashed, one can only sit back, relax, and let the movie take you away. Don't miss out and give it a go if you have the chance.

I hope you guys enjoy the comic!

You can check Movie Slate's post on Tumblr right here.

You can also check the Making of Post right here.

Please, let me know what you think of it in the comments. I appreciate and every single one I receive.

Thank you!

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