Ridley Scott’s New Movie Creates 1 Massive Challenge For Gladiator 2 To Overcome

Ridley Scott’s latest movie threatens to raise the challenge for his hotly anticipated next film, Gladiator 2. The Gladiator sequel certainly has its work cut out for it; not only is the follow-up expected to live up to one of the most popular action movies of all time, but it will also have to do so without the first film’s iconic protagonist and antagonist, both of whom died at the end of 2000’s Gladiator. What’s more, the upcoming Gladiator 2 has another point of comparison threatening to undermine it: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon.

It’s hard to ignore the similarities between Gladiator 2 and Napoleon; both films are big-budget historical epics directed by Ridley Scott and written by Eric Scarpa. Furthermore, Napoleon stars Joaquin Phoenix of the Gladiator cast. Of course, there are roughly 1600 years of history separating the two films, but Gladiator 2 is expected to match the octane of Napoleon’s historical action sequences. The films’ similarities may well be their undoing, although Gladiator 2 has a means of evading Napoleon comparisons where it counts.

Napoleon’s Incredible Battle Scenes Will Be Tough For Gladiator 2’s Action To Beat

Napoleon had to sell the impact of its battle sequences, as it’s the real Napoleon Bonaparte’s accomplishments as a military conqueror that earned him the respect of the French people as well as his mighty historical reputation. While critical opinion of Napoleon is mixed at best, most reviewers agree that the film’s epic battle scenes are a highlight. Much of Napoleon’s battle footage was shot practically, with hundreds of extras and real exterior locations giving the action an epic quality. While the strength of these scenes certainly helps Napoleon, it makes things even harder for Scott’s Gladiator 2.

The Gladiator follow-up was already in a difficult spot having to follow up one of the most beloved action movies of all time; the strength of Napoleon’s battle sequences only raises the bar even higher. One of the highlights of the original Gladiator movie is the epic battle sequence which opens the film, wherein Maximus leads the Roman army against the Germanic tribes. Now that Napoleon has delivered some of the most stunning cinematic battles in recent memory, Gladiator 2 has an even fiercer Ridley Scott standard to live up to.

Gladiator 2’s Action Can Be Entirely Different Than Napoleon’s

Gladiator 2 may well fail to match the scale of Napoleon’s action, but the film can deliver on entirely different strengths. Indeed, with the exception of the opening battle, Gladiator’s fights operate on a smaller scale. Instead of pitting entire armies against each other, Scott’s Gladiator 2 can deliver thrilling sequences of single combat that put the protagonist in genuine danger. Scott has already teased a visceral sequence in which Gladiator 2’s protagonist fights a pack of baboons, setting the tone for a film packed with brutal, intimate fight scenes.