Did Gladiator 2 Get Anything Correct?

Gladiator 2 was far worse than the original, though it had even more epic battles. Yet the story and spectacle is less satisfying. The history is terrible, don’t get me wrong, but a fictitious version of ancient Rome still cannot justify how bad this ended up. I reviewed the first one already, basically saying there is a fictionalized version that works well. The one we got was too reliant on a fake version of the Roman Empire that we got in that version, one that placates a strange sense of American liberalism that simply did not exist at the time. This one amplifies that fable to grotesque proportions. But to understand, I must cover what the various emperors from Commodus to Caracalla and a little bit further, for the Severan Dynasty is what this movie ultimately misrepresents. ――――――――― Bibliography Michael Grant, The Severans: The Changed Roman Empire (London: Routledge, 1996). https://amzn.to/42vaBtn Pat Southern, The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine. London: Routledge, 2001. https://amzn.to/4jBGKp9 ToldInStone’s excellent video on the topic:    • Roman Historian Reacts to Gladiator II   https://slate.com/culture/2024/11/gla... https://www.theguardian.com/commentis... ――――――――― Connected videos First gladiator:    • Gladiator 1 was Fun, BUT Distractingly Wro...   Napoleon review:    • Napoleon is a sad waste of money   Last Duel:    • The Last Duel | Based on a True Story   Heteronormativity:    • History Shows that No Sexual Orientation i...   Tech polarization:    • Technology Democratized Media | US Politic...   ――――――――― SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... Support the channel through PATREON:   / cynicalhistorian   or by purchasing MERCH: https://cynical-historian-shop.fourth... LET'S CONNECT Twitch:   / cynicalhistorian   Discord:   / discord   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cynicalhisto... ――――――――― Wiki: Gladiator II is a 2024 historical epic film directed and produced by Ridley Scott that is a sequel to Gladiator (2000). Written by David Scarpa based on a story he wrote with Peter Craig, the film was produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington.[7] Derek Jacobi and Nielsen reprise their roles from the first film, with Mescal replacing Spencer Treat Clark. Mescal portrays Lucius Verus Aurelius, the exiled Prince of Rome, who becomes a prisoner of war and fights as a gladiator for Macrinus, a former slave who plots to overthrow the twin emperors Geta and Caracalla. Hashtags: #history #GladiatorII #RomanEmpire #review #BasedOnATrueStory