[Spoiler: Gladiator II] The theme was readily available--but beyond the wife, we rarely got to grieve characters or feel their absence.

One possible change: What if the final speech was less about the Big Idea (the dream of Rome), and more about the people who deserved to survive to fill it?

[Spoiler: Gladiator II] For example, the bait-and-switch of afterlife wifely reunification successfully subverted expectations, but failed in emotional payoff. Not that you *need* a fridged wife for that, but it left a hole. Instead, I wish the movie had focused on the loneliness of the sole victor.

Bog Standard Swamp Potatoes

A Stoat in the Weir

Vanity Avenue

The Juniper Deficiency

It's about the journey, not the destination—and make the journey silly every chance you get