Wonder Bread and Circuses
It's just a matter of time. There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile. --Marcus Aurelius, Gladiator , 2000 Apologies for the spoilers: in 2000's Oscar-winning Gladiator , wise emperor Marcus Aurelius is on the verge of handing his job to his top general, Maximus, who he knows will work to restore democracy to Rome, but is instead murdered by his evil son Commodus. Rather than become Caesar, Maximus is now sold into slavery, his family slaughtered, and becomes a gladiator in the games Commodus uses to stir up support for his corrupt regime. In the end, Maximus has his revenge on Commodus, but at the cost of his own life. His last words are to hoarsely whisper Marcus Aurelius's words about the dream that was Rome before joining his wife and child in Elysium. It's an old school Hollywood epic, Ben-Hur for the 21st century, stirring, violent entertainment. And it feels like we...