 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Gladiator
- Review Date: May 18, 2003
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 2000
Common Sense Media says
Really excellent but really violent Oscar winner.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a very violent movie. A woman and child are brutally tortured and killed (mostly off-screen). People are sliced up, burned, and crucified. There are references to rape and incest.
What's the story?
In 180 AD Rome, the aging Caesar (Richard Harris) watches as Maximus (Russell Crowe), his most trusted general, fights the barbarians in Germania in a terrible, bloody battle. Caesar's son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) wants to succeed his father, but Caesar doesn't think he has what it takes. When Caesar chooses Maximus to lead the people back to democracy, Commodus kills his father before the senate hears about Maximus, then orders the execution of Maximus and his family. Maximus escapes, is captured, sold into slavery, and becomes a gladiator. To confront Commodus, he must win enough fights to be called to Rome. Meanwhile, Commodus finds ways to distract the populace while he disables the Senate. The only one he trusts is his sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who pretends to support him to protect her young son.
Is it any good?
GLADIATOR is a movie of such astounding scope and sweep and such masterful story-telling that it makes its storyline seem classic rather than clichéd. Breathtakingly sumptuous visuals credibly re-create the world of Rome in 180 AD, a world of unimaginable reach and power. Director Ridley Scott stages the fight scenes brilliantly, each more inventive and gripping than the last. The results are something like a deranged computer game, with new peril coming literally from all sides.
Fellow gladiator Juba (Djimon Hounsou) explains the appeal of the fights when he says that fear and wonder are a powerful combination. Two thousand years later, little has changed. We may not pay to see people kill each other any more, but we pay to see them pretend to do so, and we pay to see them come pretty close in sports like boxing, hockey, wrestling, and football.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about why it is that people are drawn to watch other people battle and what the appeal is of movies like this and full contact sports. Notice that, like Odysseus in the land of the Cyclops, Maximus will not use his name until he has done something he can be proud of. Why didn't Commodus just have him killed? Why did Commodus (a little like the WWF's Vince McMahon) decide to participate in the combat? What does it mean to "smile back" at death? Compare the lists of virtues claimed by Caesar and Commodus. Which are the most important? One of the movie's great challenges is making its world seem very different to us without making it impossible to identify with the characters. The story is told without any sense of irony or distance. Some older kids will have some good thoughts on how that is accomplished.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
Great Movie
This is a great movie. It has a very good story and Russell Crowe is perfect as Maximus. However, it is extremely violent and I would only recommend it to someone who is mature and about 16 or older.
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Kid, 10 years old
September 16, 2009
AGE
awesome war/epic battle flick.
This is a great, but extremley violent epic battle movie. Another good movie I've reviewed.
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Kid, 12 years old
June 20, 2011
AGE
Shouldn't Be R
Gladiator is a unique movie, but a somewhat predictable storyline. It's still a great movie, but you can anticipate the ending from the beginning. There is only one reason this is R...violence. There are bloody moments, some blood spurting, and slow motion violence. But, not enough to give the movie an R rating. I've seen worse PG-13 movies. Also (I don't know whether this will help you) Gladiator won Best Picture of 2000.
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Teen, 13 years old
December 13, 2009
AGE
Great movie
One of the best movies I've seen. The acting and storyline are both great. There's a little bit of violence, but nothing that is really disturbing (besides the kid getting run over by horses)
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Teen, 16 years old
May 29, 2011
AGE
Great!
Wonderful and amazing movie. Just amazing.
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Teen, 13 years old
November 22, 2009
AGE
Gladiator
I really love this movie! Very epic battle scenes! Russell Crowe does a perfect job in this role. There are some sexual references concerning incest and rape. However it should be OK for mature teens.
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Parent of 6, 8, 12, and 15 year old
October 31, 2009
AGE
Great for adults or mature teens
I love this movie but it is not for children! My very mature 15 yr. old was able to appreciate it. Russell Crowe is a great actor (you forget he's acting) and the consummate hero which is so rare today. This movie reminds me that there are things in life worth fighting for!
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Parent of 4 and 9 year old
May 18, 2010
AGE
Great film with sharp stuff
Fantastic film great for 17 very,very violent.
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Teen, 13 years old
April 1, 2010
AGE
Great but grisly movie. Iffy for ages 16-18. Rated R for intense, graphic combat.
This was a great movie, but it was very, very disturbing. The blood and violence didn't bother me very much - it was more of the theme of killing people for sport and the crowd egging on murder that disturbed me. The parts that disturbed me the most were when a man smothered his father to death and when the murders of a characters' wife and child are described. The woman was r***d, then crucified and burned, and the child was crucified and burned (this is NOT shown, but it is talked about and in one scene you see just the feet of their burnt bodies hanging from the crosses). The most graphic reference to this is "They tell me the child squealed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross", and "Your wife moaned (or wailed, I forget which word they used) like a w**** when they r***ged her again, and again, and again". Language includes one use each of the words: h***, $***h***, b!***, w****. A brother tries to get his sister to kiss him and have --- with him, and sometimes appears to ---ually abuse her, but there is no actual kissing or @#$ shown between the brother and sister. Overall, this is a very adult, violent, graphic, and disturbing movie, and is definitely not for kids. Off for ages 15 and under, iffy for ages 16-18, on for ages 18+.
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Parent of 7 year old
September 11, 2010
AGE
A really great movie.
I love this movie. My 7 year old, his dad and I watch it all the time. I love it!! It is violent but hey, my son loves it, hes a boy and loves fighting and wrestling, but what little boy doesnt?
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| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
| Cast: | Connie Nielsen, Joaquin Phoenix, Russell Crowe |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Theatrical release date: | May 5, 2000 |
| DVD release date: | August 19, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | violence and some sexual references |
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