The Comparison of Two Epic Movies, Braveheart and Gladiator

In my opinion epic movies are evergreen films which would be played and seen over and over again forever. I have chosen 2 epic movies which were also my included in my list of all-time favorite movies to watch. These were academy award wining blockbuster movies and had a combined gross collection of about 700 million dollars. Braveheart a 1995 film directed by Mel Gibson who also played the lead character William Wallace. Five years latter, epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott Gladiator was released in which hosted Russell Crowe as its lead actor.

Russel crow played the lead character of “Maximus Decimus Meridius” simply called through out the movie as Maximus. Both of these movies took place in medieval age with imperial, feudal and sovereign elements. when we take a look at these two excellent movies, even though there are several dissimilarities between these movies, they have similar aesthetic concepts such as, content, motive, theme, topic etc.

The main theme of Gladiator was based on a period when the expalnsion of Roman empire took place.

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Though out the movies both the writer and director illustrates how a 'medievall ' pre-renaissance battle might take place. Maximus was a Roman general who loves not only his wife and son, but also the emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and the perception of Rome itself. whereas the main story line in Braveheart takes place in Scotland during the expanding English kingdom. The main character William Wallace, who has deep affection for his wife who is later brutally murdered, and thus enters a campaign to free all of Scotland from British rule.

The pair of these men to foght and died for their beliefs and their love.

When we take a look at these combatantstar its clear that their love interest, their nemeses, their arcs are similar, they share the same story; just set a millennium apart. In brave heart, Wallaneve lost his father, bother alone with other clansmen to a ambuse orchestrated by the English king. When the adult character of willian Wallace was indroduced in brave heart, he has been away from home foe quite some time. Yoiung wallance who was taken away for education by his uncle returned as a man of peace, knowledge and knows several foreign languages. It is quite obuos that wallance want s to move on wit his life, to raise crops and a family and to settle as a famer. He never wanted to awange the murder of his father and brother. The opening scene in Gladiator is a Historic battle ground, General Maximus Decimus Meridus was announced to us fully outfitted in his Battle armor with a fox skin drapped around his sholder. Even though the situation was based an a battle sece, there is a moment Maximus observes a European robin siting on a tree brach. Despite the blood shed about to happen, we can see that the general values peace. Once the battle is finished, maximus lets the emperor know that he wishes to head home to spain to care for his wife and son. Despite both Wallace and maximus were hihly trined men of war, they desire peace and trnquility above all else

Love intrest plays an important factor in both the movies. Due to an unjust rule by the English king, Wallace had to marry in secret. later we see the English provoking him by executing his new wedded wife and even his unborn child, and thus forcing Wallace on a path of retribution. The initial uprising begins when he and his clan mate’s overthrow’s their English overseers and Wallace execute the English monarch in a similar matter to that of his wife. Maximus, on the other hand is framed and sentenced to dead for the murder of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, committed by his son Commodus. This isn’t enough and doesn’t stop commodus in ordering the same fate for his wife and son. Somehow Maximus escapes execution and rushes back from Germania to Spain on horseback, only to realise that he is too late. Everyone including his family were massicered by the Roman cohorts.

Here we see a common ideology that stand out form rest of the story, two empty men each having suffered the loss of their only family at the hands of a more commanding authority. Wallace had no intention to fight, but he was seen as a leader among his clan and thus He turns his retribution into a root cause for freedom. he made liberty his mission. Whereas in Gladiator, Maximus was found by nomads and sold into slavery. Eventhoug he forced to battle in smaller gladiator arenas, soon he rose into a fan favorite among the bloodthirsty crowds. He made a few frinds in the company of his fellow gladiators and soon their glory and vicoty led them to the ultimate arena “theColosseum”. It was there, where the true tests begins. Similarly, Wallace has a pair of faithful pals that accompany him on the war campaign; a mad Irishman called Hamish and Stephen and his fellow calin member called Hamish respectively. But, at the core of the films, is a trio of affable men with the odds stacked against them, contending for the freedom they believe is rightfully theirs. If leaders Wallace and Maximus were honest, however, they’d confess their murdered wives to be the truest of motivating factors in the fight.