by Chris Marshall:
This isn’t necessarily a complaint, but I feel like I
watched Gladiator just a few days
ago, except back then it was called Braveheart.
That might seem like a strange statement, since they’re set over a millennium
apart, in different parts of Europe, and have very different storylines. I can’t
quite put my finger on it, but it just seemed like there was a sameness to
them.
Both films feature lots of extra bloody and gory
swordfights, and the main character in each is seeking, at least in part, to
avenge a loved one’s death. Yes, those are characteristics that a lot of
different movies have, but these in particular have a similar “feel” to them. Maybe
it’s because they both star a huge action star who’s not so well liked in real
life. Maybe I’m just crazy.
Nevertheless, taken on its own, I thought this was a highly
enjoyable film. Normally I don’t care too much about the brutal fight scenes,
but these were well crafted, and unlike, say, The Hunger Games, the edits and camera movements didn’t happen so
fast that I couldn’t keep up with what was going on. That’s a huge pet peeve of
mine in many modern action movies.
