Maximus the unbreakable

As someone who has always loved action movies, seeing that I could watch Gladiator for an acta was extremely appealing, and I thoroughly enjoyed all two and a half hours of it. The movie starts off with the protagonist Maximus leading his army to victory and ending a long war, which earned him the approval of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Marcus then named Maximus to be his successor, which angered Commodus, Marcus’ son who was expecting to be named his successor, and he kills Marcus in anger, declaring himself emperor instead and asking Maximus for his loyalty. Maximus refuses, which enrages Commodus and he orders Maximus to be executed along with his wife and son. Maximus barely escapes, but comes home to find his wife and son dead, and to top it all off he is soon captured by slave traders. He is sold to Proximo, who leads a gladiator school. Maximus initially refuses to fight, still distraught over the loss of his wife and son, but soon submits, rapidly gaining popularity. Then, Commodus hires Proximo’s gladiators to compete in the gladiatorial games in Rome, unknowingly hiring Maximus as well. Once Maximus and his gladiators win their first fight, Commodus enters the arena to meet them and is shocked to realize Maximus is the leader. However, because of his popularity, Commodus is unable to kill him. He tried everything in his power to rig the gladiator fights against Maximus, but Maximus still continues to succeed, steadily gaining popularity and Commodus steadily losing popularity. Maximus then encounters an old friend who tells him his army is still loyal to him and gives him their location. Lucilla, Commodus’ sister, makes a plan with Maximus and Gracchus to reunite the army and overthrow Commodus, as she if fearful of him and his intentions. Commodus discovers this plan before it is able to be carried out and storms Proximo’s camp, killing many and imprisoning the rest. Maximus again barely escapes but is soon captured by Commodus and challenged to a battle in the colosseum. Commodus injures Maximus right before the battle, but Maximus is still able to win and kills Commodus. Dying Maximus then orders the release of Proximo’s gladiators and reinstates Gracchus to the senate, ordering him to restore power to the senate and make Rome a republic again. Maximus then dies in the colosseum and is finally reunited with his wife and son.

This movie was thrilling and entertaining, leaving me constantly wondering what would happen next. It was emotionally captivating because of Maximus’ story and losses throughout the movie, making his victories that much more enjoyable. It was also cool to see some of the aspects we learned about in class, like the colosseum, the appearance of horses in battle and the arena, Maximus’ three names, discovering that Proximo had also been a gladiator and won his freedom, and the reinstatement on the senate in order to restore the republic. Overall, this movie was engaging and powerful with a satisfying ending, and gives us insight into the dramatic nature of Roman society filled with undercover plots to kill and overthrow.