Firstly, It had far less action sequences than Gladiator
Secondly, it may never be compared to Gladiator; Ridley Scott’s Maximus blew off the dust and cobwebs from the Sword & Sandal genre that had long been absent from the Big Screen. Galdiator radiated energy. KOH was a way of Ridley Scott to say “He that climbs high, falls heavily”. He went completely from one extreme to another.
Thirdly, the story was so unattractive that it made my head nod into lethargy. They must have left a lot of explanation scenes on the editing room floor hence whatever made it onscreen was unwatchable. Perhaps I am simple-minded to think that Gladiator delivered its story straight to the point without involving characters that deserved a better in-depth explanation.
Fourthly, how does a Blacksmith, who doesn’t know his father from a sack of potatoes, become the protector of Jerusalem, aid to a leper king and protect the helpless? Actually, how does Godfrey even come to think that his blacksmith son could possibly be up to that task of doing it? Well apparently he must have really believed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree unlike Marcus Aurelius who thought Commodus was a spoilt failure. Maximus was a general in the roman army and had all the fighting & leadership skills (up to a certain degree) to lead Rome. What a blacksmith could have had ….meh I dunno.