Ridley Scott’s $458 million historical blockbuster annoys historians with sloppy inaccuracies. TheAliendirector is known forhis wide range as a filmmaker, having made both historical films and science fiction movies that depict a futuristic reality or are set on different planets. His sci-fi epicBlade Runner, sci-fi horrorAlien,and the comedic sci-fi thriller,The Martian,are amongScott’s highest rated films.
Scott’s historical films, on the other hand, tend to receive mixed reviews among critics. From the “rotten"Napoleon, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular Emperor, tothe critically acclaimedGladiator, historians and critics have been pointing outthe jarring inaccuraciesin Scott’s filmsdespite their success at the box office. Even his most recent offering can’t be spared from criticism.
Historian Points Out The Inaccuracies In Gladiator II’s Opening Scene
The Naval Battle Has Some “Weird” Ship Designs
Gladiator IIstars Paul Mescal in the titular role of Lucius, the son ofRussell Crowe’s Maximusfrom Scott’s 2000 Oscar winner. The original movie was the second highest-grossing movie of the year with more than $451 million at the box office worldwide. The sequel has recentlyoutgrossed the originalat the end of its eight-week theatrical run, despite strong competition fromWicked, which debuted on the same day.
In a new video fromInsider, historian Roel Konijnendijk reviews the accuracy ofGladiator II’s opening naval battle scene and gives Scott’s historical epic a 5 out of 10 rating. Konijnendijk praises the film for havingoverall accurate Roman ship designsfor the time period but points out the obvious “weird feature” of having “sails” when ancient ships moved on “rowing power.” The historian also spots a few pieces in the battle scene that don’t belong in the time period, but the most glaring error among them all isthe “fireballs,“which would “set your own ship on fire.” Check out what he said below:
They are actually based on ancient Roman ship designs, very clear. I mean they’re a little bit short and stubby, so they may have to be like liburnian, which would make sense for the Imperial period…It’s really cool idea that they really did their homework on what these ships are supposed to look like. It’s just a really weird feature that they have their masts and sails still on the decks are cleared for battle. They do not have their masts on them, and every in a naval battle in the ancient world moves on rowing power. There are not sailing warships. This is just like extra weight that destabilizes and slows down the ship.
Historically, it doesn’t make sense Numidia had been subjected centuries earlier, but it’s very interesting to see a city built on the sea, like the defenses go right up to the water and you actually see in this scene…And then, the catapults start throwing fireballs, and I’m like, “Ridley, we talked about this.” Catapults are always throwing fireballs in these movies. They historically didn’t. They would never do that. Why would you do that. You’re going to set your own ships on fire.
What This Means For Gladiator II
Ridley Scott Gets Creative In Gladiator II
The historian’s comments offers a glimpse ofwhere fiction and drama weave into the storytelling. It’s likely thatPaul Mescal’s Luciuswouldn’t take off his helmet in a battle just to show his face, but it’s important in the film. Similarly, while there’s no evidence of a gladiator ever riding a rhino into the ring during that time, no one could say it really didn’t happen. The fact that the historian notes the in-depth research that went into the film suggests that most of the inaccuracies in the film might be intentional.
This also isn’t the first timehistorians have slammed Ridley Scottfor being too liberal in his approach to historical films. His Napoleon Bonaparte biopic has received criticism from historians, andScott defended his filmby telling them to"get a life,” stressing that “there’s a lot of imagination” in history books. Lucius' fight scene in the gladiator ring inGladiator IIsees him using his father’s trick by throwing sand to confuse the rhino. He is then thrown by the rhino, and while it’s unlikely Lucius would survive this in real life, there are documented cases where a person survives an almost certainly fatal incident.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
