Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 Promise Gives Me Hope The Sequel Will Achieve A Near-Impossible Feat

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 Promise Gives Me Hope The Sequel Will Achieve A Near-Impossible Feat


Summary

  • Gladiator II will feature an even bigger opening battle scene, promising epic action and scale.
  • Ridley Scott compares the new battle to Napoleon, hinting at a monumental war film.
  • The chaotic opening battle in Gladiator sets the tone for the movie, showcasing the brutality of war and the struggle for peace.



Gladiator II is set to follow up the iconic 2000 classic film, Gladiator, and according to director Ridley Scott, it will be bigger and better than ever. Ridley Scott is a director who is known for delivering large scale epics, like Gladiator, Napoleon, and legendary sci-fi movies like Alien and Blade Runner. While each of these films benefits hugely from the character-focused stories that happen in one-on-one moments, the larger set pieces also build the world and grandeur of the stories.

Gladiator kicked off with an epic battle between a German army and a Roman legion led by Maximus (Russell Crowe) in 180AD. The incredible action in this scene sees two clashing forces battle it out with ferocity and passion that sets the tone and period of the film, despite nothing else in the film replicating that same scale. However, Ridley Scott has now promised that Gladiator II will go even bigger in its opening scene, and I think it could point to great things for the rest of the movie.


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Ridley Scott Makes Me Think Gladiator 2 Will Top The Original Movie’s Iconic Opening Battle

Gladiator II Is Going Bigger And Better

Where the first Gladiator movie sees two sizeable armies clashing, with fire arrows, explosions, swords and cavalry, Scott has promised Gladiator II will open with an even bigger action sequence. In his own words, Scott declared that “We begin the film with probably the biggest action sequence I’ve ever done. Probably bigger than anything in Napoleon.” This is promising because this scene sets the tone and scale of the film as it presents an overwhelming, violent, and busy conflict which will echo throughout the rest of the film.


If Scott is to be believed, then Gladiator II is going to be several magnitudes more impressive in its opening battle, due to the comparison to Napoleon, which was a much larger epic war film on a monumental scale. While the bulk of the story takes place in gladiator’s arenas, and the biggest character moments are more muted, this initial battle scene reveals the true chaos, brutality, and destruction caused by violence and war. With the ultimate goal being peace for people like Maximus, the path to that peace is hard-fought.

Why Gladiator’s Opening Battle Is Still So Impressive, 24 Years Later

The Opening Battle Sets The Tone Of The Movie


The original Gladiator created an epic war scene with a large ensemble of actors and extras, dozens of props and weapons, and a range of beautifully filmed moments. The fight shifts from two armies standing on different peaks, preparing to unleash hell on each other, and deliver their enemies into the afterlife. It then moves between rapid sword fights and brutal deaths, to slow motion moments when warriors raise their weapons and prepare to attack. The scene is impressive for its variety, the flow, and the way that a scene full of so much chaos can create so much of a through line for the rest of the story.

The scene is extremely valuable, from the speech offered by Maximus to his army encouraging them to run towards their fate, to the disheartened face of the German leader as he sees the tides of war shifting for the Romans to win. And it serves to echo the rest of the story with Maximus being right in the heart of the fight, but also not being impervious to damage as he falls multiple times and relies on the help of his fellow soldiers. Now, Gladiator II can replicate this epic storytelling tool on an even larger scale with a new battle sequence.


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