The Bizarrest Criticism Has Put Gladiator 2 in Same Ranks as Mel Gibson’s ‘Braveheart’ and Ben Affleck’s ‘Pearl Harbor’

Anticipation of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 has already started generating some criticism before its release. The much-awaited follow-up to the worldwide hit of 2000 brings Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Denzel Washington on another journey to ancient Rome.

Although Hollywood has always taken creative freedom for the sake of good, engaging stories according to the audience’s interest, some movies are subject to much more skepticism. Now it seems like Gladiator 2 is also in the middle of similar discussions.

Historian Criticizes Gladiator 2‘s Historical Inaccuracy

Gladiator 2 has been met with criticism from history experts, especially after focusing on some scenes highlighted in the trailers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a Classics professor at the University of Chicago, Dr. Shadi Bartsch, says “total Hollywood bullshit” after watching certain scenes from the film.

There is a scene in the trailer where the Colosseum is shown filled with water and sharks. Although she acknowledged that naval battles happened in the Colosseum, Bartsch said, “I don’t think Romans knew what a shark was.” Moreover, she also picked on the rhinos shown in the trailer.

According to her, rhinos had been mentioned in historical scripts, but unlike the two-horn breed that is shown in the film, those were one-horned rhinos. She also criticized the scene where Gladiators are riding the rhinos, as there is no evidence of that in history.

A scene depicting a Roman noble reading a newspaper in a café has also been criticized because the plot of the movie occurred centuries before the invention of the printing press. Dr. Bartsch points out,

They did have daily news — Acta Diuma — but it was carved and placed at certain locations. You had to go to it, you couldn’t hold it at a cafe. Also, they didn’t have cafes!

These criticisms do not phase director Ridley Scott in the least. Scott believes, “By the time you get to 2024, it’s all speculation,” which is quite apt for a movie like Gladiator 2, especially considering that it is a fiction indeed. So, in a way, the filmmakers can have the creative freedom to alter certain scenes with a pragmatic approach to historical storytelling.

Movies That Faced Criticism for Historical Liberties

Issues that arose about Gladiator 2 are quite typical for historical epics. Mel Gibson’s Braveheart is much loved for its emotional impact, but it took significant liberties with Scottish history. These include the blue face paint that was not accurate to the period as well as the fictional romantic subplot involving Princess Isabella.

Pearl Harbor received similar criticism for the deliberate focus on a Hollywood cliché love triangle at the expense of real historical events. Altered timelines and unrealistic combat scenes were added to make the movie more dramatic. But it still presented a heartfelt story along with impressive visual effects.

2006’s 300 is probably one of the best examples of movies that successfully balanced creative liberty with entertainment. Zack Snyder’s stylized interpretation of the Battle of Thermopylae did not claim to be historically accurate. Rather, it attempted to make it look aesthetically upbeat and narratively involving.

One more example of such films is Inglourious Basterds. Audiences accepted Quentin Tarantino’s World War 2 adventure as an alternate history despite the inaccuracies it contained. Apart from these, Centurion, The Patriot, and The King are some more examples, which are essentially fiction inspired by certain historical periods and events.

These examples indicate that the primary factor is not to get the facts right when telling a story, but engaging with the audience is more critical today. 

Gladiator 2 will be released in theaters on November 22, 2024.