Gladiator II Might Be Ridley Scott’s Final Shot At Redemption

For a man with movies such as Alien, Gladiator, and Blade Runner under his directorial belt, Ridley Scott is often omitted from lists of legendary filmmakers. Controversies and lapses in the quality and reception of his recent movies have seen the Briton’s name at risk of falling into the batch of hit-or-miss filmmakers instead of the more distinguished list to which an auteur of his caliber arguably belongs. However, the release of Gladiator II could change things—for better or worse.

Although twenty-four years overdue, the sequel to 2000’s Gladiator occupies a strategic position in Scott’s career. If executed well, it could be the director’s biggest clap back at his critics and re-establish his craftsmanship as the guiding light for historical epics. On the other hand, a less positive reception could further isolate audiences and critics alike, dooming his name to relegation.

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Ridley Scott Has Made His Mark in Hollywood

In his 47-year career, Scott has made a name for himself in Hollywood. The 86-year-old’s distinct visual touch and love for large grand battles rank among the likes of James Cameron, Tim Burton, and Zack Snyder as the very best. Such skill comes in handy in world-building and period movies; thus, it’s no surprise that Scott’s presence has been felt the most in science fiction and historical epics.

The impact of his 1979 hit, Alien, on pop culture is unquestionable; the movie is to sci-fi-horror what Superman is to the comic book genre. So successful was Alien that it influenced similar movies and video games such as James Cameron’s Predator and Paul Anderson’s Event Horizon. Similarly, his work on Blade Runner in 1982 birthed dystopian cyberpunk. Gladiator is no different. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 2000, won five Academy Awards—including Best Picture—and continues to be the standard to which sword-and-sandal epics are held. If his legacy was ever in doubt, Scott’s 2003 and 2024 knighting by the British monarchs ensured it wasn’t by putting him in a rare class of individuals to have received such an honor.

Recent Divisive Movies Threaten Scott’s Legacy

Despite his storied legacy, it’s apparent that Ridley Scott’s current standing is less favorable than it was, say, a decade ago. Although far from the first or only director to have a few rotten eggs in their filmography, his recent output has been inconsistent at best. The majority of his movies since Gladiator—such as Exodus: Gods and Kings, Alien: Covenant, and Kingdom of Heaven—have been met with polarizing reviews, poor box-office returns, or both. While films like The Martian excelled in both criteria, the list of sub-par to “okay” movies, topped with the recency bias of moviegoers, has prompted many to question whether the director’s best work is behind him.

A common theme in the criticisms is Scott’s disregard for historical accuracy—sometimes subtle, other times blatant. Despite total accuracy in movies based on real events being rare, and sometimes undesirable, the filmmaker’s level of creative license has been hotly debated across several of his epics, most recently with House of Gucci and Napoleon. Even fan-favorite Gladiator wasn’t spared such criticism. Fingers have also been pointed to his preference for style and grandiosity over substance, a concern backed by the fact that he doesn’t write his movies. That, his propensity to make movies for his own vision rather than for the audience, and his often humorless tone have put his once infallible touch under intense scrutiny in recent years. Scott’s bashing of the superhero genre added fuel to the fire. Again, while not the first filmmaker to do so, comic book fans took the dismissal to mean that the filmmaker detests such films because he doesn’t know how to make them—a notion that seems almost absurd when you consider that he’s the man that gave the world Blade Runner.

Gladiator II Could Be Scott’s Epic Comeback

Gladiator II occupies the unique position of being one of the few moments when Ridley Scott shies away from his attitude of not making sequels. And considering that his last sequel, Alien: Covenant, hauled $240 million at the box office, Gladiator II has every element and potential to be the most successful of the bunch and to prove that the director is far from a spent force. Merely following the first film’s narrative structure beat for beat is enough to keep audiences enticed. It would also provide Scott an opportunity to demonstrate that the challenges he’s faced with recent films aren’t necessarily due to a decline in his abilities, but rather a shift in audience expectations—one that has arguably gotten more critical since 2000. Although the charm of Russel Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix is absent, the faces of Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal are enough to fill any gaps in star power, if any. Scott’s strength has always been his ability to craft large-scale battles and intricate historical worlds, and early footage suggests he has not lost his touch. As evidenced in the trailers, a large naval battle in the Colosseum is just the kind of spectacle films like that need.

However, Scott’s track record suggests that he’s more likely to double down on his criticized artistic strongholds rather than bend to the will of the movie electorate. It’s too early to tell, but if Gladiator II turns out with positive scores across the technical board and at the box office—which it most likely will, given the popularity of the first—Oscar shouts and a Best Director nod may be closer to reality than they seem. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the director as he nears 87 years of age.

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