"Death smiles at us all, and all a man can do is smile back!". What a beautiful line.

R.I.P. Oliver Reed. An underrated actor of his time.

"He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him." Great line!

Joaquin Phoenix absolutely crushed this role. He was so unlikeable and played Commodus so well. Just a fantastic movie all around. Great reaction!

Over 20 years later this movie is still incredible! That ending always gets me to tear up 😢

Great choice Whimsory!!! "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife...and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

"Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. They're grrrreat!" - Tony the Lion 🤣

For those who aren't familiar: The fields of wheat throughout the film aren't just symbolic of him going home to his farm. Its MAIN purpose is to symbolize Elysium. The Greek/Roman Underworld/afterlife is split up into multiple aspects: - Tartarus - The equivalent of Hell. A deeper realm of darkness and fire, as far underneath the realm of Hades as the realm of Hades is below the sky. It is the prison of the Titans and Giants, and the place of torment for the wicked and the enemies of the gods. Tartarus itself is a Primordial God, (like Gaea (Earth), Erebus (Darkness), Nyx (Night), Khaos (Chaos/The Void/The Abyss/The Emptiness), Chronos (Time), The Fates, etc). - The Asphodel Meadows - The sort of neutral/good afterlife. The "neutral" inhabitants drink from the River Lethe (Forgetfulness) before entering, and are thus stripped of their memories and identities. Part of it is meadows of of Asphodel flowers. And part of it may be a wasteland of ash. - The Elysian Fields, The Plains Of Elysium/The Isles of the Blessed - The equivalent of Heaven or Valhalla. The afterlife of heroes, the children of the gods, and the best people. A utopian paradise where everything is easy. Fields of wheat and whatever else you need. Interestingly, Greco-Roman mythology evolved how things worked over time, and eventually the generally righteous were allowed to move from the the Asphodel Meadows to Elysium, IF they passed the judgement of the three Judges Of The Dead - the wise King Rhadamanthus, the good King Minos, and the just King Aeacus (all three were demigods - children of Zeus). As Maximus tells his troops at the beginning "If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!" The song that plays at the end as Maximus is dying and mourned is called "Elysium". (EXTREMELY worth listening to on KZfaq all on its own. Haunting. Beautiful. Serene. Sad.)

My dad and I would go to the movies often and this was one of his top 3 movies. We saw it together in the theater when it came out. He's 80 now and he is suffering from early dementia but when I go to see him, I ask if we could watch a movie together. He smiles when I suggest this one. He remembers it and still enjoys the action. You've hit another home run, Whimsory. Can't wait for your next video. 😊

It's so unusual to have a truly weak villain at the centre of a movie, and a weak man in a position of ultimate power is a scary thing indeed. In many ways the story of the scared, inadequate, pathetic Commodus is significantly more interesting than that of the square-jawed, honourable Maximus. I always get the feeling that men watching this movie aspire to be Maximus, and relate to Commodus.

Gladiator hasn't aged a day. Still a perfect film. 2000, 2001 and 2002 were phenomenal years for Russel Crowe. He was nominated for Best Actor for 3 consecutive years. Also I'll say Joaquin Phoenix's performance was just as memorable as Crowe's, if not more. Also, I am a new subscriber! :)

"It's a freakin lion." 🤣 "I'm making sure my cat's not watching this." 💀

"and Noah with again... the book was better!" I laughed so hard at that! absolutely loved it!

Sunday's are dull on YT. Thank goodness Whimsory put one out AND it's one of my favorites! Thank you!

Just a tiny detail: Romans used the thumb up/down sign to signal the fate of gladiators, but contrary to Hollywood or KZfaq likes it meant: Thumb up=rise to the afterlife, thumb down=stay on earth. And you are right. The movie was ahead of its time but also 2000 years behind…. 😄 Thank you, was a great joy to rewatch it with you. Thx for the invitation! Mike 🇺🇾♥️

Hanz Zimmer's FTW. He is one of those guys who had seemingly reached the pinnacle of his craft 20 years ago for this film. Then he did it again & again & again. time & again he composes beautiful & breathtaking scores, such a great talent!

Hey Whimsory, Great reaction! FYI...you mentioned the scar on Cicero's face, it's actually a real scar, not make-up. Thomas Flanagan who plays the part has a scar on each side of his face, known as a 'Glasgow Grin' or a 'Glaswegian Smile', after being attacked with a knife by thugs in Scotland. It's entirely possible they might have defined it more for the movie. He's in another EPIC movie...Braveheart, where you'll clearly see his "battle wound". Braveheart, if on your list of 250 would be another great one to watch, if you like battles like in Gladiator. Can't wait for your next reaction. ~Dawne

Crotch kicking empathy. lol

Gladiator, not an expected choice, but a most welcome one. Accidentally watched this one at 8 years old, the charred remains of his family stuck with me for a long time

RIP Oliver Reed who played Proximo. Veteran actor who was sick during filming and died before filming of Gladiator was complete. Terrifying as Bill Sikes in 1968 Oliver.

One of the greatest movies ever made, Instant classic! Love your channel Whimsory, always a pleasure when you upload a video.

What most folks watching this film don't realize is that when Maximus rides back to his home, he rides from Germany, all the way across France, and to Spain

Went to Rome a couple years ago and saw the Colosseum for the first time. Pretty impressive and surreal to stand in front of it and go inside, knowing what went down within those walls 1,800 years ago…at least from a 21st century westerner’s pov. I thought of this movie the whole time.

The actor who plays Maximus' servant actually has those scars. If you see him again in other films you'll definitely recognise him. I'm glad you liked the film and if you don't write poetry already; based on your notes, I think you should start.😂

You should do Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World next. Another great Russel Crowe movie!

I love that you rewatch the movie before commenting, it's unique and amazing.

Joaquin Phoenix played this role so well. Everyone hates him to the core. So well done. 😀

Don't worry about showing your anger , frustration, or other emotions. Those are your REACTIONS. That's what you're here for, right? I love that you don't give commentary, covering the dialogue of the film, through the entire movie. You do a great job!

If you like more Russell Crowe, I recommend “Master and Commander”.

I have no idea how Joaquin Phoenix managed to make himself so unlikeable. Your reaction shows it brilliantly: even before he starts murdering people and creeping on his sister you get an uncomfortable vibe from him. It must be a subtle smirk or something and the privileged arrogance which he displays. Another fantastic on-screen villain, Joffrey in Game of Thrones, reportedly studied Joaquin Phoenix in this movie particularly to work out how to play his character and it really shows: people get an uncomfortable feeling from that portrayal too and grow to absolutely despise him.

A friend of mine once said "you know the movie had a good Villain, if you still hate them after the film is over." Joaquin Phoenix exemplified that statement. He played the role so expertly, and the role was written so well that, to me, I still hated him even after his death in the film, and I still believe he was one of the best movie villains of all time.

No need to excuse your reactions. Those times where brutal. ...and total respect for choosing NOT to watch things you don't like. Love your reactions, please never stop doing this!

Lately, I'm no longer that interested in watching many reaction videos, but you're one of the few KZfaq reactors that I still really, really look forward to seeing. Keep up the good work!

Oliver Reed who played Proximo, died from a heart attack during filming. He was a very famous actor in the 70's and 80's who became a bit of a cult icon known for his drinking. He was challenged to a drinking contest and arm wrestle by a group of sailors when they were filming in Malta, he drank 8 pints of lager, a dozen shots of rum, half a bottle of whisky, and a couple of shots of Cognac in a single sitting whilst beating a load of young, fit sailors at arm wrestling. His bill for the night cost nearly $600. He was 61. Very sad.

Ever since I was little I was terrified by Oliver Reed for his portrayal of Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist. I absolutely loved him as Proximo. What a legendary final role.

Other than the "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius" speech, I would have to say my favourite line would be "The time for honouring yourself will soon be at an end, Highness." because of all the different things going on - there's a bit of a threat of course, but he also shows a lot of disrespect to Commodus because 1) Commodus said he was having the games to honour his father and 2) Maximus addresses him as "Highness" rather than "Emperor."

16:04 The utter disgust and loathing on your face and in your voice. It caught me so hard. I had a really good laugh at that. He did a good job playing a real creep. What a great movie this was. Great reaction! can't wait to see what you watch next!

Man, two weeks in a row you hit one of my top 5 movies of all time. Gladiator is just an 11/10 in every aspect. Writing, acting, action scenes, music, etc. Just a master class in movie making.

They also burned down the forest for the movie in the beginning battle. It was scheduled to be cut down, but Ridley Scott offered to burn it for the movie.

Two things: 1 - 0:35 yes the book was absolutely better lol 2 - Joaquin Phoenix may be a bit weird but he's one of the best actors alive. Every role he plays he actually becomes that person. The "busy little bee" bit is awesome.

I legit laughed out loud at "What does that even mean??" This is the best way of ending a Sunday, great reaction

The film cemented Ridley Scott as one of the world's best directors. Everything about this movie is perfect ... the action, the dialogue, the cinematography, the music ❤

I saw this in the theatre with my wife when she was almost full term with our daughter. The stirring music made her very active in her mum's womb. She has ADHD and we always joke that this movie was to blame LOL 😅

That scene when Maximus just tells Commodus the truth right in the fucking face always gets me. And even better is what comes next. Commodus really, really wants for Maximus to die. But the crowd is against killing Maximus. And Commodus is too scared to order his death. A small boy in trunks - that's what Commodus is. Not a leader. Not even a true man. Because being a man is not about age. It's about being able to bear responsibility and staying true to one's word.

I will simply point while this is a good movie. It's very ahistorical. There's not much of anything based in real history in this movie, like Braveheart. Small example Marc Aurèle didn't want to restore the Republic and had no issue giving Commodus the reign. Commodus died drowned in his bath by a gladiator and Maximus is entirely fictional. Edit: You did do some research i see, good on you hehe

Speaking of Joaquin Phoenix, I was 15 the first time I saw him in a movie; it was the 1986 film Space Camp. He was just a boy. He has come a long way since then.

Commodus to this day is still one of the most hated characters in cinematic history. Really a testament to Phoenix's skill as an actor.

Ridley Scott loves a historical epic (see also Kingdom of Heaven director's cut or roadshow edition) and Russell Crowe (2010 Robin Hood). Joaquin is at his mewling pathetic foulest as Commodus. A+ villain performance.

One of the greatest movies ever made. Acting, story, imagery. Wow. This one had all the elements.

Watching you react to these movies is just as entertaining as watching the movies themselves! 😁

I know I've said it before, but I'm still impressed with your editing and natural instincts for being able to pin point the necessary story beats and include them in really time efficient ways. I really liked what you did with the sequence with Cicero (Maximus's servant) when he's leaving the coliseum and Cicero is in the crowd trying to get his attention to tell him his men are there for him. I thought your editing choice there was essentially pristine. You give us the initial shot of him yelling to Maximus from the crowd which establishes whats going on in the scene and then cut straight to him placing the bag in Maximus's hand and relaying the message, which gives us the story beat and purpose of the scene. Might seem simple and obvious describing it here, but there's so many hired editors I see on youtube who wouldn't handle that scene with the same precision. So again, I know I've said this before on other videos of yours, but indulge me a bit while I heap some praise onto your instincts again. I really do get a kick out of it.

If you ever watch "The Nice Guys" starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe has a fight scen in with Keith David in which he uses the same puch combo he used on Joaquin Phoenix in "Gladiator" as an homage to Crowe's Oscar winning role. "Nice Guys" contains a bunch of little things like that.

a historical notes: This movie underplays how horrible Commodus actually was; when this movie takes place, the Gladiator games had been stopped for many many years (for being too barbaric), and Commodus brought them back. In the tier list of most depraved roman emperors, he's vying for a top spot.

An excellent film and great reaction! The Colosseum was an amazing structure, they could actually flood the main arena and have boats sail on it to do naval battles, it was incredible engineering.

God bless your gentle soul, Whimsy! You are a wonderful young lady!

Thank you for this reaction video. As you noted, Joaquin Phoenix's performance in the film is a top tier work of art! This film remains at the summit of my favorite motion pictures of my current life. Thank you also for not editing the important content that other KZfaq reaction hosts do!

I love watching along with you. You take notes and think about your feedback. Great Reaction again.

Your reactions are very honest and fun. I like watching your channel because it reminds me of what it felt like to watch these films for the first time (even though I was like, 'yeah, gladiators, violence - awesome!'). Keep up the good work!

The scar you're talking about, that Tommy Flanagan's Character has, is not a cosmetic scar, Tommy actually has that scar. He got it from being attacked outside a nightclub he had been a DJ at.

You gotta understand that this is the height of the Roman empire. The height of hedonism, part of the reason Rome fell. The scar on that actors face is real. Since you like character development so much watch Joker, it is all about character development.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!? ARE YOU NOT... ENTERTAINED!? Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture. Before Russell Crowe was cast as Maximus, Hugh Jackman, Antonio Banderas, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Tom Sizemore were considered for the role. Interestingly enough, Crowe was considered to play Wolverine in the live action X MEN movie before Hugh Jackman was cast. Oliver Reed, who played Proximo, died of a heart attack on May 2, 1999. The film was dedicated in his memory. Thw opening battle scene was filmed in Surrey England, the gladiator training school was filmed in Morocco and the scenes involving Ancient Rome were filmed in Malta for 19 weeks. Crowe sustained several injuries during filming and almost died as a direct result. During the scene where Maximus fights Tigris Of Gaul, the tiger almost killed him. It was a close call for Crowe.

When my father was at the Ecole Militaire, he learned almost every line of this movie by heart. He showed it to me when I was around 12, and to this day I still think it might just be the greatest movie ever made. We just quote it back and forth to each other, especially "Strength & Honour" and "AM I NOT MERCIFUL!!!".

Heya Whimsory 👋, annoying old man here to pop some balloons🎈. Gladiator is beautiful, lavish and is a compelling tale. Gladiator also captures accurately the look of life in the 2nd century AD Roman Empire. The battle at the beginning accurately shows how its Legions (army) fought to conquer the ancient Western world. History-wise, the whole Maximus thing never happened. There was an Emperor Commodus with a longish (for Rome LOL) reign (180AD-192AD), but he got along with his father Marcus Aurellius. There was no Maximus , Commodus was assassinated, and most importantly NO RESTORATION OF THE REPUBLIC. That was there for the feels.

Easily one of my top 5 movies of all time. Joaquin Phoenix is great as Commodus. He does an amazing job making you hate him. Probably the best villian role ever. Hans Zimmer's score is just the perfect cherry on top of an amazingly written and directed movie. If you haven't heard, they are currently in production on a Gladiator 2. It's supposed to take place about 20-30 years later when the young boy, Lucius, is now Ceasar. I honestly don't know what to thinks about it. This one was such an amazing movie I would love to see another just as good if not better but have more of a feeling that it's not going to live up to this one, just simply because of how good this one was, and then tarnish this one just by association. There's always hope though

Great reaction like always. Love your facial expressions and your little quips. It’s always fun to see reactors when they realize that they are brother and sister. That is some things that are overlooked about Royal families and how they keep their bloodlines pure.

“His heroic nature is bright and shiny against the shadowy backdrop that is poop-eater Commodus.” Yes, you should read your notes more often!

Definitely follow this with the movie Master and Commander (the far side of the world) 😉

Love your reactions!! I know your post times are longer than all the rest. Makes me enjoy them even more when they come

Loved yer 'enthusiasm' (and restraint) during this watch-along, thanks for that. I tend to tear up as soon as Lisa Gerrard's voice starts up during Hans Zimmer's pre/end-credits theme. When I'm out and about and it pops up on my random playlist I usually have to fast forward it to avoid any 'scene', lol. Fun fact: The Colosseum was actually capable of being filled with water so they could showcase naval battles.

Congrads, 20K subscribers. Great movies great channel you deserve it and many more. Well done.

Your aversion to the early violence had me worried, glad you were able to see beyond it. I think it's important to remind ourselves of what we are capable of. The only difference between people then and now is society and education, our empathy is learned and nurtured. We need to acknowledge our dark side so we can guard against it. Your appreciation for good villains was spot on and you had some other really good insights. You've got a good head on your shoulders, color me impressed.

A little known fact is that the make up department had to spend 4 hours a day painting the stunt Lions to look like Tigers ;) ... in the end I think they just used Tiger onesies. I hope "Master & Commander" is on your list, that is another great history based Russel Crowe movie. I highly recommend it if it isn't on the list. Great reaction, I really enjoyed watching you watch this film and hearing your thoughts.

Dang I'm surprised she's seen The Quick and the Dead, most people haven't seen that but it's one of my favorite movies as well. Also for the sake of my self-esteem and sanity I hope I never hear anyone say "way back in 2000" ever again.

Whimsory is in the house!!!! great way to end our Sunday

The sand they put on the floor of the Colosseum to soak up the blood was called "harena" in Latin and is where we get the word "arena", because the stadium space and the sand became synonymous.

18:26 Maximus laughes and asks: ''You knew the Marcus Aurelius?'' This was my fav scene!

One of the things people aren't aware of. Gladiatorial fights are highly romanticized in history. Many times the fights were stopped before Gladiators would die. This was due to how expensive a fighter was too replace.

This was my first time watching one of your reaction videos, it was a treat watching you react to one my favorite movies. I hope you consider getting out of your comfort zone and continue to react to movie genres you usually won’t watch, like war movies, they give a picture of human nature that should be seen. Again I really enjoyed your reaction, hope your channel grows!!

"way back in 2000" makes me feel so old. It's an accurate statement, but still catches me off guard

Fun Fact: each scene with a tiger ON a human the quick eyed will notice they are all stretched towards one of the human's hands, this is because that is where the Tiger-handler stuntman [the human playing Maximus in the scene] keeps the tiger treats.

My Grandmothers favorite movie until her death two years ago was this movie. There is a running joke in our family if anyone says “What should we watch?” “Gladiator it is!”

lol, love the part at 21 minutes in where you say "How is this fair??? Oh my gosh!" That was the point! 😛

amazing reaction, but omg the outro was so cool! i love how you express yourself and it was a very professional critic and just amazing

Happy to say I saw this in the theater back in the day

"Caesar" was a Roman family during the Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar was one of the best military commanders ever. After he conquered Gaul (basically France), he returned to Rome and great acclaim. He was eventually named Dictator of Rome. Powerful people didn't like his power and assassinated him. His nephew, who was his adopted son and heir, became Caesar Augustus, the first "Caesar", which came to mean Emperor (the Russian Czar, the German Kaiser). This was the end of the Republic, and the beginning of the Roman Empire. Some were "good" Caesars (Hadrian, Trajan, and Marcus Aurelius, etc), and some were not (Nero, Caligula, and Commodus, etc.). Rome ruled most of Europe, and the Mediterranean, for a thousand years.

Hi whimsory hope you are having an great and awesome weekend ❤

19:12 Yes he was telling him to dispatch his opponents slower…put on a good show. Essentially give the crowd the idea that his victory isn’t a foregone conclusion. Back in the mid to late 1980’s and early 1990’s, boxer Mike Tyson ran into a similar problem. He knocked his opponents out too quickly in the early rounds. He kept doing this to the point the demand for his fights on cable started to decline. Tyson also had to slow down his tempo and put on a better show.

Lol. The actor with the scar is Tommy Flanagan. That scar is real. He's also in Braveheart (1995). First film I ever saw him and his scar in.

This is such a great movie. I saw it in Hollywood at the legendary Cineramadome. When the movie ended we all poured out into the parking lot and pretended to have sword fights. Joaquin is great in this movie. It isn't easy being such a weasel.

And as satisfying seeing Commodus die at the end is, in reality the death of Commodus kicked off the Year of Five Emperors. It was a year of chaos, civil war, and assassinations.

In the scene with the boy just before the arena Maximus tells Lucius that his horses’ names were Argento and Scatto. That's Silver and Trigger, horses ridden by two famous 50s cowboy heroes - The Lone Ranger (Hi Ho Silver Away!) & Roy Rogers (see Die Hard). A joke by Russell Crowe.

Awesome video! You facial expressions and spontaneous sounds and comments are cool, hilarious and adorable! I'm very much looking forward to your future stuff.

When I first seen this movie at the theater I was blown away by Joaquin Phoenix performance. After seeing this film he became one of my favorite actors. Back in the 80s Joaquin was in the movie Parenthood. I haven’t seen that movie since the 90. When I seen him as a teenager I didn’t recognize him. Im like oh yeah I remember this kid. Looked him up on IMDB and I’m like that was Joaquin Phoenix.

My men see me alive , and you shall see where their loyalties lie, One of my favorite lines of Maximus

It doesnt much get commented on but the presence of Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus is kind of a British in-joke, as he was (and still is) famous for his portrayal of the Roman Emperor Claudius in a 1970s TV series. Claudius came to power after the death of a tyrannical young Emperor and (in fiction, at least) he wanted to make Rome a Republic again - so Gracchus is rather carrying his torch, ideologically speaking, a fact that Ridley Scott would absolutely have recognised when Jacobi was cast...

I love this movie. The only thing I would disagree with you is saying it was ahead of it's time. We don't get movies like this anymore, this was the time of great movies. I miss movies like this. I would recommend the Last Samurai and The Patriot which came out the same year and Braveheart which came out years before this. Love your reactions, definitely can't wait to see more.

29:09 the point of that skit was everyone loved Maximus, and not the Emperor. they knew there was going to be a battle between them, and they were showing which side they were on. this is an amazing film. the actor who portrayed the slave owner and became a 2nd father to Maximus passed away 3/4 of the way through the film, they digitally edited him into the last part of the film, from unused footage. another great reaction! 👍

I saw this in theatres as a sophomore in highschool and it was both visually breathtaking and emotionally. I had major goosebumps at the first battle and had tears in my eyes at the last battle.

Your videos are great! I appreciate all you put into them. And oh man, your reaction at 20:29 - instead of just saying what you see, you have this wonderful reaction like a silent film star which made me laugh out loud. Just shows why you're the best in the game!

One of my favorite movies, both main actors did a phenomenal performance. That one line. “AM I NOT MERCIFUL!”