Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

skyintightpants This is the greatest sword and saddle epic ever mad from a guys perspective you want to see the x rated scenes they are quite shocking I could watch movie again and again that's how good it is this movie was based on fact this Roman Emperor was hard core in his view some people can't except that some people are just born monsters this guy was a monster if you like sex and violence this is the movie for you do not watch this movie with kids around do not watch this movie with your wife or partner if they don't like Violence this movie is for real men and woman who are not affected by seeing rape sex and serious violence

MissSimonetta There's something tragic about watching the 1979 Caligula; you get the feeling that had the film's production not been overtaken by people more interested in smut for the sake of smut, this could have been a good or even great movie about the dangers of absolute power. The sets are big and beautiful, yet also possess a keen sense of grime growing over the amoral decadence of this vision of Ancient Rome. The actors are all spectacular, especially Malcolm McDowell as a man who slowly loses his soul to power lust and hubris. Had this movie been closer to its original inception, many might have said it's one of his finest moments as an actor.Unfortunately, none of the snippets of greatness can save the film in its final incarnation. The soft-core pornography repeatedly interrupts the plot. You get the feeling that as originally conceived, the sex was meant to be more gross and impersonal than arousing, more a display of the animalistic side of the people in power. But the problem is there are many scenes where the sex is clearly supposed to arouse the audience and it's just... boring. You sit through orgy after orgy, waiting to get back to the story.Yes, even the lowest depravity gets old after awhile.

Eric Stevenson I am amazed that I have been able to find this movie at all because it's probably the only pornographic film I'll ever watch. I have no idea how this made it to mainstream theaters. I normally never watch porn at all, but I was willing to make an exception for this movie because it was the only one that I could really find that was in standard movie guides. I remember reading how much Roger Ebert despised this film and then hearing that it was Brad Jones' (Cinema Snob) favorite movie. It's so ridiculous because all he did in his review was talk about how horrible it was.This movie may have at least been tolerable if not for the fact that it goes on forever. It might be the longest porn movie ever made. You could have trimmed all the nudity out to make this an hour and a half. The film becomes too predictable, being nothing but sex scenes over and over. The acting and dubbing is quite poor too. As far as I know, this is in fact a historically accurate film. I don't know quite that much about the real life Caligula. It doesn't matter, because it's awful any way. I consider myself open to new ideas, which is why I saw this. I will now never watch a feature length porn movie the rest of my life! At least I gave it a chance. *

deideiblueeyez I watched the 160 minute version, which may have been a mistake on my part (or not?) because it had all of the pornography that wasn't in the original script added to it. If the film had had more direction, if it truly had buckled down and focused on Caligula and simply had the sex as an *element* of the film and not an overall theme --though that may have been difficult as the Romans were more liberal than many at the time, even more so than the neighboring Greeks when it came to sex in some aspects--and while that may paint the background, I do not think it was really necessary to be a part of nearly every single scene. Naked slaves and worker bees I can understand, and of course Caligula's reign did have a very promiscuous color to it, but there were, in my opinion, much more pressing matters that the film only touched upon that could have served as more entertaining. Him naming his horse as senator was obviously a joke and with Malcolm McDowell's wonderful acting you are left guessing how many of his actions are due to mental instability and how many of them are as a means to belittle the system that he rules over.Don't take this the wrong way, readers, but I never thought I would have ever rooted for a brother-sister couple like I did with McDowell's Caligula and Savoy's Drusilla. Their chemistry was beautiful and lovely, their sibling bond plunged into erotic and romantic waters which never ebbed up until the very end. Again, it is very, very weird to me that I *felt* for them during their time on screen and wished them to be happily married (shivers) but somehow McDowell always seems to make the most taboo into a "Eh, why not? It can't hurt". I recommend you watch a fairly well-edited version instead of the full 160 minute slog. Too much porn ruined the story telling. Goddamn Guccione. There's no way a film like this could ever be made again with the same Shakespearean seriousness, stifling awkwardness, and on- screen lasciviousness that for the latter may be a good thing in the end.