The discourse surrounding Gladiator 2 might as well be as old as ancient Rome it’s gone on so long at this point. The sequel you didn’t want is getting slammed, but haters are wasting their breath.
Close your eyes, and you can hear the faint cries of “Ffs we didn’t need a sequel to this masterpiece!” Yet Ridley “get a life” Scott doesn’t care, and thus Gladiator 2 is born.
Russell Crowe isn’t coming back for this, and obviously the original is regarded as one of the best movies of all time. To some degree, it’s understandable that there will be hesitation.
But here’s my reply – let’s chill out and see reason here. I’m going to take you through the three biggest Gladiator 2 complaints and justify why they’re all stupid. You’re welcome.
Ridley Scott isn’t going for historical accuracy
Let’s address the elephant in the room first. Ridley Scott takes some… creative liberties when it comes to his version of ancient Rome. There’s the Gladiator astride a rhino in the Colosseum (probably can’t be tamed like Black Beauty), the shark-infested aquarium the arena becomes, and the small matter of one character sipping tea and reading a newspaper.
Small details like these have already got people’s backs up, including the now-viral “Hollywood bulls**t” takedown from one historian. Collectively, we’re going to have to grow up and face the fact that the printing press was born 1,200 years later. Big. Deal.
The trick is not to see any of this as a negative – because it isn’t. Where OG Gladiator was hindered by a lack of technology, the sequel harnesses the latest CGI to create something visually exhilarating. Everything we loved about the action the first time is enhanced in the second. In Scott’s version of Rome, anything is possible… and that’s really damn cool.
Ancient world expert Jasmine Elmer agrees. Speaking to Dexerto, she explained, “I think directors have a certain amount of responsibility to represent cultures accurately – it’s important that they recognize the power they have over public impressions of historical periods. However, let us not forget this is not a documentary – it’s a film!
“Its main aim is to entertain. We allow for creative expression in publishing, for example in historical fiction, why can we not just accept this as another form of storytelling and make allowances for this? It’s the job of academics, and public historians, like myself, to discuss the nuance and debate accuracy.”
The Gladiator 2 trailer soundtrack was slammed
That Gladiator 2 trailer wasn’t very Hans Zimmer-y of you, Ridley. Our first taste of 211 AD opened with the soundtrack of ‘No Church in the Wild’ by Jay-Z and Kanye West – and that got almost immediate backlash.
“Can’t believe they didn’t use parts of the original theme to hit you with the nostalgia. That Hans Zimmer score still gives me goosebumps,” one fan replied on YouTube, with a second agreeing, “Jay-Z rapping definitely transported me right back to 476 AD!” (You’re out by 200 years, idiot.)
Instead of jumping to the conclusion that the whole two hours and 30 minutes will sound like Hamilton, let’s assume something else… it won’t.
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The trailer has done its job. It got your attention and got you talking. Every single tweet slagging off its music choice is one step closer to achieving global marketing domination. So now that’s out of the way, it’s time to get to business with an actual film score.
The man knows how to make an action epic, and underestimating him would be a fool’s choice. Even if he did decide to go off-tangent and have Paul Mescal arrive in Rome soundtracked by ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot,’ it would probably be amazing.
(That won’t happen, though. Zimmer is coming back, more awards in the bag etc etc.)
Denzel Washington is playing Denzel Washington
Rounding out our trilogy of misfires is the man already tipped to win Best Supporting Actor for this very role. Yep, Denzel Washington is playing ye-olde Denzel Washington in Gladiator 2, if his New York cop accent is anything to go by.
When you get to a certain level of standing in your career and the world, you sort of get permission to turn up to a job and do whatever the hell you want. To quote Cam from Modern Family, “Meryl Streep could play Batman and be the right choice,” and the same could be said for Denzel.
The man is in need of his moment. The last great performance we saw from him was in 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth. He’s been left pedaling crappy wares ever since (sorry, but The Equalizer 3 should have been titled The Tranquilizer 3).
If he wants to f**k sh*t up in ancient Rome as his literal self – albeit kitted out in some incredibly fancy garms – let him. There’s a belief that people who are happy at their place of workplace do a better job, meaning a merry Denzel is going to absolutely bust ass.
We’re working with a rather dross storyline here, what with the dead dad, imperial Rome being driven into the ground by callous and diabolical leaders, and a mum who shipped her kid off two decades ago and isn’t really doing the best job of rebuilding their relationship. So a dose of wacky eccentricity is needed.
Without spoiling anything, there’s a good reason why Denzel is an early front-runner for Best Supporting. Trust us… you won’t be able to keep your eyes off him.
Gladiator 2 comes to cinemas on November 15 in the UK and November 22 in the US. Catch up with the original movie’s ending explained, who Marcus Aurelius is, and when the sequel takes place.
You can also check out more new movies streaming this month.