The Roman Empire: Positive or Negative Image?

Personally, I have a negative image of the Roman Empire as a whole. Although I admit they have some pretty amazing feats and positives, the positives are outweighed by the negatives if you ask me. The rulers in ancient Rome did not rule with compassion at all, they were quite cruel as a matter of fact; and this is a very huge downside in my opinion. I feel as though a positive feeling towards an empire or government or whatever requires some good rulers, but in Rome the corruption was so great that it wouldn't even matter what the public had to say. The emperor especially, I think should be a kind an generous leader, not a self-concerned man who only cares about the power he has over a population. Marriages too, were a large factor in my decision to have a negative image of ancient Rome. Marriages became more of a business, a decision made with some sort of financial or social standing benefit in mind. And at the very end was slaves; although I would not mind a giant group of unskilled(or even skilled) lower class, I'm against the slavery and the cruelty that generally comes with it. I believe many people of the Roman empire must have felt the same way, and this as a whole would have lead to weakening of the empire, thus giving me a negative view of it overall.