Negative Positive
Title: A Good Story Well Told.
Review: Let's be clear. Stanley Kubrick went on to make some of the major works of cinema. No one claims that Spartacus is one of them, but it is a well-made and intelligent movie. I find it quite irresistible, despite some of the weaknesses in an over-earnest, obvious script from Dalton Trumbo and some less than stellar performances (what was up with John Dall?). Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, and Peter Ustinov are more than sufficient reason to watch the film through. The battle scenes are impressive, and had an obvious influence on Mel Gibson's vastly inferior Braveheart. Overall, a film that takes itself a wee bit too seriously, but manages to stay afloat. Great fun for a slow Sunday afternoon.
Is the review positive or negative? 