AllMovie

The BBC presents Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story, a historical drama based on actual events. The story follows the fictionalized life of Roman champion Verus as he is captured as a slave and trained as a gladiator. Inspired by the earliest surviving work of Spanish-Roman poet Martial, the film dramatizes a historical description of an epic battle between two foes. The climactic fight involves Verus in combat with champion Priscus. The Colosseum's inaugural games of A.D. 80 are re-created with the help of CGI animation. The actors speak Latin and follow the traditional gladiator social traditions involving the ancient games. Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story was aired in 2004 on the Discovery Channel.