Gladiator and the Monomyth

Before watching Gladiator I was a little skeptical on how closely it would follow the monomyth considering that Gladiator is based on real historical events and people. I was pleasantly surprised when trying to piece together the monomyth for this movie. It follows the monomyth even more closely than "Batman; The Dark Knight," which is a work of fiction. In Batman there is no refusal of the call. Bruce Wayne needs Batman just as much as Gotham does. Maximus however is your stereotypical hero. He was not born a Hero. Heroism was thrust upon him. He was unwilling to become mixed up in the political squabbles of Rome and wished most dearly to return to his house and farm. The monomyth becomes very predictable in gladiator such as the Initiation, which is when Maximus becomes a Gladiaor and fights in North Africa. Batman is a little less obvious. Joker puts Batman through emotional trials. My groups interpretation of Gladiator I believe is pretty spot on because it's pretty simple movie. The "Dark Knight Rises" is probably pretty difficult to do since its the second movie in a trilogy. For example I believe the freedom to live is not for Batman, he is chained to that identity. The freedom to live is for the people of Gotham. I also disagree with Batman's apotheosis being when he gives up his title of Hero. That doesn't make him godlike just incredibly selfless.

Overall I believe the monomyth is a good structure for defining stories with Hero's, but not all stories have Heroes. A Hero must have a story, but a story must not always have a hero.