Sometimes, critics are just plain wrong.

I usually respect what Roger Ebert has to say about upcoming movies. I agreed with him about Magnolia, for example. However, having just read his review of Gladiator, I think he may have actually lost his way and wandered into a different film. That’s about the only excuse I will allow him. Many people (who have not seen Spartacus and never will) are going to see Gladiator and having a rollicking good time. Yes, the dialog is corny. So knock half a star off the rating. We’re not going for superior dialog anyway. We’re going for the action, the arena, and the art of epic film making. Roger says, “The film looks muddy, fuzzy and indistinct.” Perhaps Roger should take his glasses with him next time he goes to a movie. As for his comments on the re-creation of ancient Roman architecture: “the Colosseum in Rome looks like a model from a computer game.” Giving credit where credit is due, those computer game graphics wizards are coming up with some pretty life-like stuff these days. However, I suspect that if Roger flew over Manhattan in a balloon, he’d be leaning over the rail, shouting, “Look, it’s a kitset. You can see the joins! And they got it wrong!”.