History Professor Reacts to "Gladiator II" Trailer

[@KJT4888]

This comment section is AMAZING. It's just a bunch of people who did not watch the video complaining because they looked at the thumbnail. That is the problem with clickbait. It is believed by the easily manipulated. This whole comment section is just people angry over things that didn't even happen in the video 🤣

[@wouters1180]

To be fair, Commodus also didn't die like he did in the original, so Lucius' mother showing up here is not a big surprise. They needed a familiar face from the original to create a visual connection. Most other actors are new, after all.

[@Jeffro5564]

This sequel looks crap

[@TheUnalteredMyth]

@@Jeffro5564Then it looks like great crap

[@Ghost-of-a-man]

They should have brought back Djimon Honsou and Tommy Flanagan also

[@seanbinkley7363]

@@Jeffro5564 Maybe but I think the point remains that if we're going to focus on historical accuracy, it's important to remember that the first Gladiator wasn't very accurate either in a lot of ways. And hey, that's fine it's still a kickass movie.

[@knowledgewizdom3234]

Big brain😮

[@ryublade8184]

these movies arnt historical movies they are action adventure epics set in that time period. Movie looks great.

[@slavicgarou6414]

Of course, it's historical fiction.

[@davispatricks5453]

​@@slavicgarou6414 You'd be surprised by the number of people for whom this is not obvious, especially when there is a black person in an unexpected role.

[@terekab5883]

The hypocrisy for years African history has been played in movies seeing only white faces ,the Black's in those movies were actually painted faces with black we kept quiet .our history has been stolen for so many years and the white people have lived in a lie and they can't accept the reality all the best !

[@cuprashoe]

My only issue with the trailer was the choice of soundtrack

[@somebodywhocares9293]

Its entertainment. A movie, not a documentary. Real question is, Why are white people upset About the color of the cast? They are all characters in a movie.

[@kingofthehill2891]

It is a DOCUMENTARY. That's if you know history. Septimus Severus was a Black man.

[@SoniaAchieng]

Because White's cam dishnit out but they cannot take it!!! They happy to whitewash history,no objection 😂 Karma?

[@RUTHLESSambition5]

These weirdos got mad at little mermaid and that's a cartoon. They are snowflakes. They just want to act fake mad

[@torybootlicker9770]

Oh come on. Let's say a 'movie' comes out about Muhamad Ali ( in the style of Rocky ). The actor who plays Muhammad Ali is white. How would you feel?

[@MatthewBretton-cu2el]

To humanise blacks by the meer image of achievement hurts their soul. They lie to themselves that blacks deserve to be terrorised, images of equality and achievement fight that lie.

[@biffstrong1079]

Macrinus was not a slave. He was the first non senator to become an emperor. He was a Berber and an Equestrian. They stopped using the Coliseum for sea battles by the early 100's . Rhino's were killed in the coliseum but probably not ridden. Lucilla was killed by Commodus early in his rein.

[@johnoibenjamin5630]

I'm disappointed that one of the biggest factor thats driving the negative reactions of this move you did not address, but we know why because you know the truth. Denzel's character, why didn't you address his true ethnicity. As a historian, dont go around it to tell the people your openion or the truth.

[@joseofno]

black yeah he was black, born in north africa... whites were the slaves then

[@MOOR1787]

True

[@sarahprice3070]

He’s acting pathetic because Babylon the great is going to crumble and his fantasy of being superior is close to an end.

[@stevebecker2486]

What a silly comment. The Romans would say if you had said nothing we would have thought you intelligent.

[@TheRoswellCode]

THIS IS IN REVERSE ORDER OF HISTORY. The first film had trapdoors under the Colosseum's arena, while the sequel shows mock sea battles. The mock sea battles happened FIRST, then, as soon as they started digging under the arena to make tunnels, they could NO LONGER have them.

[@Broken_robot1986]

Keep telling yourself that

[@TheRoswellCode]

@@Broken_robot1986 No, I might consider them filling the tunnels with water and rotting the wood and ropes that operated the trapdoors :)

[@abc-uo7pc]

In the trailer Lucius mother gives away “maximus ring”. And Lucius is apparently a gladiator all grown up. So this isn’t reverse order of history. I may not be entirely sure about the plot but it’s weird and it reeks of garbage.

[@TheRoswellCode]

@@abc-uo7pc The second film is meant to be a sequel, but it is not historically accurate. In fiction you can make up the rules, like in Starwars for example.

[@mecampbell30]

@@abc-uo7pc Reading comprehension is essential bro.

[@qbertq1]

Will there be lots of wheat petting? That's what we really want to see.

[@ReelHistory]

Ha ha. Wheat is actually very symbolically in the context of Ancient Rome.

[@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184]

Oh I hope there is wheat petting, it feels ethereal.

[@VaughanVanDyk]

"There's some goooood barley..."

[@amw091303]

😂😂

[@bradcouch457]

I first learned about the Romans flooding the arena to stage naval battles when I watched Nick Hodges' review of the first movie on History Buffs and my first thought was "Now that's something that needs to be in the sequel." So I'm very excited to see it now.

[@ReelHistory]

It's a very cool aspect.

[@ThutUPB]

@@ReelHistory yeah but those sharks in the water though... omg. Not to mention that naval invasion. What coastal city in the Mediterranean would the Romans want to conquer in the bloody 210s??

[@bantharadio8960]

@@ThutUPBthey were crocodiles not sharks, that I would believe

[@bria78]

However, it is written in ancient chronicles that one time they flooded one amphitheatre AND released sharks. It was not the Colosseum though.

[@tigqc]

The biggest surprise for me was the absence of the first film's secret sauce: Hans Zimmer.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

Hans Zimmer is not composing the score for this trainwreck of a movie.

[@shadowfax-p3y]

​@@ChienaAvtzon 💯

[@thunderboltproductionsshpk]

​@@ChienaAvtzonno indeed, cause nowadays he's useless and what was great about Gladiator was actually composed by Lisa Gerard and not by zimmer 😂 dude doesn't even know how to create "melodies" anymore, everything is just some blllaaaarrr blllurmmm BS. Fortunately this one is scored by Harry Gregson Williams who already worked with Ridley in the past.

[@calebisdisposable]

@@ChienaAvtzonLooks better than the OG

[@robertlindsay6671]

Fear not, they used the same music 😂

[@camwchristian]

Never based on real historical events, just inspired by the story and culture

[@whisperedarcc6543]

Macrinus actually became emperor after Caracalla. He reigned for just over a year ( april 217- june 218) before he was overthrown and killed.

[@keto8354]

denzel looks like he didn't age after his stint with Taking of Pelham One Two Three.

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

He turns SEVENTY this year lol. He's older than my dad by like 3 months. My dad is starting to look like he drank from the wrong Grail cup.

[@natalja6680]

It is not nice to say such things about your dad.

[@SicKno-i5r]

Knock it off. He looks like Bill Cosby now

[@bsaneil]

(sigh) yet again a historical individual who would have been of Berber or Punic descent is played by someone of Sub - Saharan African descent. And yet again it's Denzel Washington.

[@Galbaudix]

He was Berber not punic

[@Irish37]

At this point, fans of "Gladiator" are used to a mix of historical accuracy and wild inaccuracy. But it's worth pointing out that the historical Macrinus never visited the city of Rome even once after becoming emperor. The inaccuracies of the first film didn't spoil my enjoyment of it. I don't know how many inaccuracies I'll be able to bear in the new film.

[@kingofthehill2891]

Then there's no need to watch it. If u can enjoy a man in spandex flying all over the place and calls himself superman, then you can enjoy the truth of a powerful black man who ruled Rome. There's no such thing as a black man or a white man, they're socially constructed words to make u feel.

[@Brook11223]

Strength and Honor. On my command unleash hell. My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. I will have my revenge. Also I believe Djimon Hounsou will appear in this film as a way to anchor the story just as Connie Nielsen to furher push Lucius' journey.

[@HeliodromusScorpio]

The whole movie is a fan fiction that is so innaccurate that it is pointless to even mention specific details

[@SoloDeus_Rey]

Macrinus (Denzel)… born in Caesera… northern coast of Africa. Bet it stings you, doesn’t it😂😂😂

[@nandansho]

Dude, if you were actually a history professor you would know that Rome had 2 black emperors by the name of Septimus Severus and he was succeeded by his son. In addition, Rome also had a Saint A black Saint his name was Maurice. He led a Roman legion All throughout Europe and he was sanctified because he refused to kill Christians at the behest of the emperor which resulted in his troops being decimated....You have a problem with Blacks in Roman History having powerful positions..that White Supremacy tried to hide.. This movie never claimed to be historically accurate..

[@kingofthehill2891]

It did and that's their problem. It is historically accurate in terms of the race and nationality of the people.

[@curtisthomas2670]

I didn't hear him say a single negative thing about Denzil being in the movie, he seems excited he is

[@blocknowledgeentertainment201]

#facts Septimus Severus was the first Roman Emperor with Black ancestry and his sons are in Gladiator II but they made them Roman, they where mixed race.

[@jumpingonoffthejet9377]

Damn I didn’t know that 🤯 gotta sharpen up my history

[@KJT4888]

What are you babbling about? Did you even watch the video? He never expressed anger over black people having positions of power in Roman history. You are reacting to a thumbnail! You are having a fake argument you made up in your head 😑

[@Sd-cl6of]

I'm afraid you can't replace Russel Crowe (Maximus) and that's the problem. No matter how good the movie.

[@finger3306]

Well I mean you can, it's not like he's even a historical person 😂

[@ALT3REDB3AST]

Yeah, they said that about 300 too with Leonidas. But Themistocles was pretty damn cool in 300 Rise.

[@flurryX]

Especially when he said about 3000 times he had nothing to do with the film .. He is DEAD .. WELL HIS CHARACTER

[@Stormbringer2012]

I liked the part where a gladiator rode that T-rex

[@Cormano980]

Rancor

[@ruggedtechie5867]

What are you talking about lol. Do you know history

[@Stormbringer2012]

​@@ruggedtechie5867 My grandma use say to me "I don't care what they tell you. Emperor Augustus was black"

[@chaotictattoo]

If this is anything even close to how napoleon was it will be the exact reason why movie trailers are better than the actual movie itself. Napoleon was a dumpster fire and seems like the best this movie can be is a good action movie.

[@leftymcnally6913]

Wasn't the flooding ended when they built the Hypogeum...which was in the first movie?

[@Seansds]

That was my first thought... but I'm sure they added it for "cool" factor. Technically they think it may have been flooded for naval battles but I don't think that it was ever confirmed that it actually happened.

[@brandonpeters1618]

@@Seansds It is confirmed

[@ArstanWB]

Yes, flooding of the arena was done many years before this movie is set to take place.

[@gloriathomas3245]

As someone who is both a history and film buff I think we need to redefine the term "historical accuracy". Films like Kingdom Of Heaven, U-571, 1917, War Horse or Fury might be fictional in terms of actual events but I do consider them historically accurate because they properly capture the atmosphere of the subject matter spot on. In fact the film Fury touches on a fark piece WW2 not often talked, that being the many war crimes carried by allies troops.

[@nandansho]

Oh, is that right? Well How is it that the movie Fury never once Mentioned the 761st All Black tank battalion that was a part of Patton's third army that was engaged in the Battle of the Bulge as well as rescuing the pinned Down 101st Airborne in the forests of Bastonge? Patton just happened to mention that they were the finest tank operators that he had ever seen.. I guess somehow the directors and writers of Fury just forgot to mention that part..

[@torybootlicker9770]

​@@nandansho Probably because the battalion the film was written about was white. That's all fury is. Never has it been looked at as a true depiction to the end of WW2. I have just looked up the all black tank battalion, and those fallen heroes have been remembered justifiably. Stop spewing hate.

[@MatthewBretton-cu2el]

So the last Samurai was accurate to the atmosphere of the time ? How about dances with wolves ? Lmao🤣🤣 your selective outrage is hilarious.

[@CoffeeFiend1]

Denzel is a bit like Sean Connery in that he always plays himself. He's a Scottish Englishman, a Scottish American, a Scottish Russian submarine commander.

[@GabrielSanchez-ge1bs]

Exactly right. And if his character is really an Algerian he should have been played by another actor. Woke bullshit

[@CoffeeFiend1]

​@@GabrielSanchez-ge1bs See Juba made sense. So much sense in fact that people that have watched the original multiple times just remember his character, it was Maximus, Juba and Hagen, the amount of people I've seen recently that have been like "oh yeah there was Juba!" like they knew there was Juba.... But they remember Juba as Juba not as a black pov character. There wasn't any inconsistent logic or immersion breaking with Juba. Denzel is a lot more ambiguous though... His skin tone is too dark and he's obviously not making any attempts with accents or mannerisms here, he's just an American New Yorker. Race swapping isn't like an absolute thing people can be reasonable and look at it on a colour gradient/ethnic makeup basis (this is actually why Pedro Pascal pulls off so many different native nationalities convincingly in tv and cinema) but with Denzel he is just a bit too dark for native Algerian (taking your word on that as I've not looked up this Macrinus character myself). I'd actually be alright with it to be honest if he at least tried a bit with the accent and mannerisms to smooth it out, but god damn he just looks like he's playing Denzel Washington.

[@Amenkad]

@@GabrielSanchez-ge1bs thank you very much for telling the truth, an algerian berber

[@DaveReece-u4b]

@@Amenkadhe’s not telling the truth though. The name Berber was coined by the Greeks for all people from North Africa who were diverse in ethnicity, including black.

[@Amenkad]

@@DaveReece-u4b the North is not and was not black. You Can find métis berbers in désert zones, middle age islam expansion

[@Ghost-of-a-man]

I need to know how they waterproofed the coliseum floor to stop the underground network getting flooded when filling it with water.

[@anthonyskrobul3726]

I don't believe the famous Coliseum was ever flooded for mock naval battles. I remember a video I saw that mentioned this happened in a different coliseum (designed for the purpose) in Rome.

[@jaywatson2906]

Permaseal

[@Mr_Dumpty]

I believe it's a model colosseum that they built in Malta specifically for each film (re-built for the sequel).

[@Ghost-of-a-man]

@@Mr_Dumpty my point was how did they do it 2000 years ago in reality? If they actually did.

[@Mr_Dumpty]

@@Ghost-of-a-man Ah, I misunderstood.

[@kellyhill6414]

Macrinus was born at Caesarea in Mauretania a province along the northern coast of Africa I just wanted to let that be known, and we know why.🤔

[@veronicaglouster1713]

Who gives a sh..t , after decades of white washed Hollywood movies in a predominantly blk region. Stop the lies.. tired to the fake history and the debates of leading characters visually always looking fair skinned.. even in documentaries 😴

[@SoloDeus_Rey]

They refuse reality. Those same people prefer incest, however😂😂😂

[@dihiahabireche2524]

Yes exactly in my hometown Caesaria known today as Cherchel in northern Algeria 🇩🇿 were the population is indigenous Amazigh white skinned and eye colored. It's pathetic the way Hollywood is blackwashing everything labeled as African 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@williamedward6096]

@@dihiahabireche2524 Wow thats a new one, "Hollywood is blackwashing everything labeled as African". I guess all Algerians during that time period were white. Its a movie get over it.

[@mythwest]

I feel the need to repeat that this is in fact historical fiction, not an attempt at a historical figure or event…

[@ReelHistory]

A lot of people don't know that.

[@jovanjorgovan23]

Well there are the limitations to which you can stretch history, it is a HISTORICAL fiction after all. So once Rome starts to look feel and specifically talk like post 2015 USA, you know you've stretched it a bit toi far and it becomes fiction with weirdly familiar costumes.

[@andreraymond6860]

The most compelling parts of the Trailer are veiled in ambiguity. Macrinus is never mentionned by name. The two creature emperors are Caracala and Geta, brothers who hated each other with a passion. They were the sons of Septimius Severus Caracala ended up assassinating his brother and then in turn being killed by Macrinus in the end. It would seem that Lucius (the boy from Gladiator) will be used as a pawn somehow by Macrinus to bring about the destruction of the brothers. The start of the movie would be set about 15 years after the events of the first movie. I was VERY skeptical about this movie when I heard it had been greenlit. Now my curiosity is peaked. I suspect the exchange 'What can I give you?' 'All Rome's armies' 'Too much' 'A generalship' comes at the end of the film when Macrinus ascends to the title of Emperor having triumphed.

[@tykohn]

I don’t think he says “a generalship”. I think when he says the Roman armies are too much, he says “that general will do” and it cuts to Pedro Pascal, who is being set up as his rival. He didn’t want command of the armies, he wanted to destroy them.

[@ma-bn8jh]

For those commenting on hip hop being used. Did you guys actually listen to the lyrics? The song is probably only for the trailer. NO CHURCH IN THE WILD The Lyrics: [Hook: Frank Ocean] Human beings in a mob What’s a mob to a king? What’s a king to a God? What’s a God to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything? Will he make it out alive? Alright, alright, no church in the wild [Jay-Z] Lies on the lips of priests, Thanksgiving disguised as a feast… …Is Pious pious cause God loves pious? Socrates asked whose bias do y’all seek?… …Jesus was a carpenter, Yeezy he laid beats ... flow the Holy Ghost, get the hell up out your seats, preach [Kanye West] …We formed a new religion No sins as long as there’s permission And deception is the only felony… …It’s something that the pastor don’t preach It’s something that a teacher can’t teach When we die the money we can’t keep But we probably spend it all cause the pain ain’t cheap, preach The Breakdown: In the hook, Frank Ocean proposes that if you deny the highest power, you may just become the highest but you might not make it out alive. In the first verse Jay Z paints the picture of a history of religious contradictions and challenges the listeners to reconsider their definition of piety or righteousness, similarly to the way Socrates did in the Euthyphro. He charges listeners to free themselves by rejecting religious bias and to preach this new message. In the 2nd verse Kanye introduces the details of this new religion, “no sins as long as there’s permission.” He suggests that this new message is new for both preachers and educators because even they do not realize that money isn’t everything and that “we probably spend it all cause the pain ain’t cheap.” This song isn’t necessarily bashing God, but organized religion. It’s clearly coming from feelings of rejection and hypocrisy from religious institutions and each verse provides a different perspective on the theme. The Rhetorical What do you detest more: hypocrisy or death?" Kanye was in his opulence era when in oh wait the title is "Watch the Throne" The song is epic in scope both sound and lyrics (nihilism, existentialism, politics, religion) what more do you need? or did you just hear rap and think meaningless?

[@lagmistic1235]

They hear RAP(Rhythm and poetry) the literal definition and immediately think ghetto music…they are really just afraid to admit they are subconsciously racist.

[@jmie5]

Yeah, we can hear the lyrics and the sound of the song, beat, mood it evokes clashes with the mood of the movie. No one's out here analyzing the philosphy of Yeezy v. Rome with a full transcript of the lyrics my dude. I agree with you that they literally just chose it for the trailer and it was a BAD CHOICE.

[@Chris-Someguy]

Terrible looking movie 🎉

[@MatthewBretton-cu2el]

​@@jmie5 what does that even mean ? How you dictate the mood of a movie over the directors and producers ?

[@TerryManyCrows]

People generally critique things according to the five lower senses. When they see diversity in something based in history, it makes them very uncomfortable causing them to react and judge negatively. Hollywood sells product thay appeals to the audiences. It makes sense to put a message in the world most popular genre of music along with one of the most iconic actors of all time. I mean nobody had a problem with white Egyptians, or a white Lone Ranger even though the story was based on Bass Reeves, a melinated U.S Martial/ Comanche Indian who was also TONTO... Hence the name LONE RANGER...

[@ryan__5661]

Didn’t Lucius know his mother in the first movie. He was like 10 so even if he was shipped off after first movie how would he forget her?

[@SandmanGotBeer]

He lied

[@МаксимКриницын]

You a REAL historian? Because Macrinus WAS NOT black person!

[@ReelHistory]

Are you a real viewer? You posted this question twice.

[@Known_as_G_M]

Definitely wasn't white

[@HappyVibes535]

​@@ReelHistoryHe's probably a Russian bot.

[@Luci823]

The trailer was perfect I’m watching it

[@thelizardkingdc]

Nice engagement for the channel, well deserved Prof! Looking forward to this, having not seen the trailer yet. The original wasn’t exactly historically accurate so we’ll see how it goes….

[@chukuamorfam9819]

I don’t remember seeing any of you bigots bitching when Ridley Scott casted Exodus, an Egyptian film, jammed full of Saltines 😅

[@straight_NoChaser]

💯

[@sarahprice3070]

He’s acting pathetic because Babylon the great is going to crumble and his fantasy of being superior is close to an end.

[@zion1]

True

[@jaygee4411]

Ridley Scott missed an opportunity here, as like Macrinus was, Septimius Severus was also a North African/Berber + Italic Roman, and his wife was Syrian I believe. Caracalla and Geta should reflect that mix, but oh well. I was thinking if anything Denzel should have been Septimius Severus instead.

[@ReelHistory]

Great ideas!

[@HICHAM-73]

Septimus severus and Macrinus was from north Africa. They was Mediterraneans like Egyptian Greek and Italian. Not black .

[@jaygee4411]

@@HICHAM-73 Berbers have a range of looks from light skinned to dark-skinned like their North Central African neighbors, like the Tuareg. The truest Egyptians are the reddish brown to dark brown skinned ones in middle and southern Egypt. So I'll stick with what I said.

[@HICHAM-73]

@@jaygee4411 The berber kingdom who was in relation with Roman empire was named ( Numidia ) its Mediterranean and this people was and are white even ther kings are described in roman historical books as white ..( massinissa git blue eyes ) nothing to do with touareg and there was no relation between touareg and Roman.

[@Tsukonin]

@@jaygee4411 No. Black people start to appear en masse with the islamic slave trade. So no, North Africa was very homogeneous and looked like what most Berbers look like to this day: light-skinned and mediterranean/MENA-looking. We have plenty of busts and depictions of the Severan dynasty as well as of the inhabitants of North Africa: they looked nothing like Denzel Washington.

[@leoSaunders]

wait what? I'm so confused right now: "Macrinus' life inspired Russell Crowe's character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 feature film Gladiator.[8] Marcus Nonius Macrinus and the fictitious Maximus Decimus Meridius are placed within the same time period. Further, both Marcus and the fictitious Maximus are liked and well known by Marcus Aurelius. However, Marcus Nonius Macrinus went on to enjoy a successful career and died a wealthy man. In contrast, the character Maximus Decimus Meridius loses his family and is sold into slavery.

[@ArstanWB]

A lot of the armour and weapons displayed in the trailer are from medieval period and they mixed up the two emperors, i'm not sure what they were thinking when they included the Chaos Juggernaut. Sure exotic animals were used in the arena, but this is just silly. Although i love Denzel Washingtons movies, he does not seem to be the best pick for a historical movie, especially considered that the person he portrays was of north African descent and that Algerian sounds like he grew up in Bronx. We also wen't from an epic Hans Zimmer score, to whatever this was. If it does great in the box office, it will be because of the fantastic movie that came before it.

[@tysonas1]

The thing with Scott’s Napoleon is he’s British and I knew he wouldn’t show him in a good light and more than a drop of negativity. Napoleon needs to be both produced and directed by people who have the financial and creative wherewithal to do justice to a person who has a period of History named for him

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

I think you need an American director for a Napoleon movie so it's not just a hit piece or hagiography like if the English or French make it.

[@larsickenroth7169]

Interesting, that Rhino-rider caught my attention as well: I think the helmet very much resembles the Gérôme-painting from 1872 (‘Pollice Verso’). Which is indeed a fictionalized and idealized version of Greek and Roman history, dating right back to it’s introduction by JJ Winckelmann in the 18th century.

[@sickk0073]

"Intersting soundtrack selection..." Nothing goes better with ancient Rome then Jay Z 😂

[@devongardner2928]

300 rise of empire had war pigs for the trailer a rock song to a Ancient Greece movie you gonna bitch about that

[@knowthyselfinstitute]

You should probably listen to the lyrics. Don’t think there is a more fitting song which aligns exactly with the theme of the film. Its almost as if they wrote it for the film.

[@LosAngelesMade]

Actually it’s the perfect song for this trailer. Did you expect heavy metal?? 😂😂😂

[@knowthyselfinstitute]

@@LosAngelesMade He probably thinks ancient Romans had British accents.

[@cliftonarnelin4751]

Believe the people who actually live in that region for centuries.

[@BlacksonAudioProd]

its a movie. not a documentary. its not the backwashing of this movie its the unwashing of the white paint spread over everything in history. especially the great parts

[@talentedcreole1963]

Brilliant...

[@camwhite4015]

well said

[@jedishaw6771]

The trailer has put me off completely, the music, (music????) I don't care if this shit music isn't in the film, I won't give these idiots my money.

[@ibematos]

So Romans had the ability to flood the arena with salt water and were able to transport sharks....

[@eclecticx]

Flood the arena, yes. Transport sharks? No.

[@ibematos]

@@eclecticx I knew they flooded arena with water but not salt water.

[@eclecticx]

@@ibematos Ah, gotchya. Missed that. :)

[@kryssie1866]

Thank you for this amazing video

[@chyllhollywood]

I think people need to read more books.

[@reesepacker7983]

The Rhino scene was originally supposed to happen in the first film ..Ridley Scott had it story boarded and scripted but for whatever reason was not filmed ....not to mention the brief christians waiting to be set upon by lions which was deleted scene

[@jovanjorgovan23]

Good that it didn't back then. Looks horribly video game-ish and over the top, but not in a good way

[@reesepacker7983]

@@jovanjorgovan23 i agree.all that first 2000's decade CGI has aged horribly

[@jovanjorgovan23]

@@reesepacker7983 20 years later the only good CGI is the one used for the out of focus background stuff. And that's all it ever should be used for. Can't do it for real - don't.

[@randallcooper4399]

The trailer is suggesting that Lucius lived in Numidia, and then Rome invaded and killed his family, prompting the rest of the story. Numidia had already been a Roman province for a couple hundred years. I can't find any documented conflicts in North Africa in the 3rd century, let alone during the reign of Geta/Caracalla or a massive amphibious invasion as depicted. Caracalla and Macrinus did invade Parthia, so I don't understand why they didn't use that for Lucius' backstory instead of Numidia. I don't mind artistic license with Lucius and Lucilla being alive, but anachronistic wars is too much for me. Maybe the trailer is misrepresenting the actual plot.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

Caracalla *did* unleash a massacre in Alexandria- but it was after [HISTORICAL SPOILER] he killed his brother (they were only co-emperors for a brief time in 211, after their father's death) - I, too, have nothing against Lucius still being alive- as I assumed the film-Lucius was an amalgam- because technically speaking, a son of Lucilla's did live into the reign of Caracalla- she had two; I figured they were using the name of the first, but the lifespan of the second- but I was also hoping for a different movie than the one we _appear_ to be getting...

[@Cormano980]

It's made for americans, they believe Star Wars is a real historical event

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

"History vs Hollywood" is kind of open frontal warfare when Ridley Scott makes an epic. I wish he would just try a LITTLE to do something historical and not just echo the idea that 'it's not important & audiences aren't smart enough'.

[@GabrielSanchez-ge1bs]

I'm with you. Ironically Scott made arguably the most accurate historical film (the Duelists) in the beginning of his career. He has zero dignity nowadays

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

@@GabrielSanchez-ge1bs Duelists is amazing BTW. I like that kind of historical fiction because it's not focusing on the major power players of the day. It's Napoleon and Wellington chasing each other through the snow. That's the movie old Ridley would've made. This is just 2 guys of little consequence and the fascinating tale of the resilience of hatred. One of his best movies.

[@jeffyoung60]

Classical World History does not record the two Roman co-emperors, Caracalla and Geta, as being effete men sporting makeup and face blush like Japanese Kabuki actors. Surviving statue busts of Caracalla depict a scowling, brutish, almost thuggish man, far from being effeminate. It's harder with Geta. After Caracalla arranged for the liquidation of his disliked younger brother, Geta (the sentiment was mutual), Caracalla had all images of Geta defaced, destroyed or eliminated. Thus historians don't know what Geta looked like. We can guess it wasn't like that shown in the movie. Their father, the renown ruthless but successful emperor Septimius Severus was a thorough military man who imposed military life on his two, quarreling sons, taking both with him to his Caledonian (Scottish) campaigns in Britannia, to remove them from the impious, luxurious, carnal pleasures of Rome.

[@tylerdordon99]

Honestly the lead actor feels uncharismatic and his performance looks flat.

[@smokeycat2011]

100% agree.

[@ChristinaDiCali]

I appreciate the additional historical info you added to this story.

[@JoDaw]

Thank you 🙏🏽 great video

[@rekunta]

What were they thinking in using a rap song for this??

[@Longestspring]

I’m going to watch this 3, 4 times out of spite : )

[@easily12]

"This is how Rome treats it's Hero's"! That line is taken from the old Epic movie🎥"Quo Vadis"!

[@ReelHistory]

Also, be sure to watch our full historical breakdown of 2000's "Gladiator" here: Part I: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5yZmauqhKaag80 Part II: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3STZH5roq5sjK8

[@malchaamah2633]

Fraud and more white washed lies. Africa and Asia including the portion called Europe today was full of Swarthy people prior to Alexander of Macedonia conquest. Prior to Alexander there was no Caucasian rulerships.Alexander's 4 Generals took over after his death and The Greeks became white. The Swarthy ones were pushed out.this very important detail is left out of history by racist men like content creator here. Rome's Army was full of Dark Israelites former slaves, Hametic Africans ,Arabs,that became the new Holy Roman Empire. Real history can been found on" Critical Race Historical Facts"and "Critical Race History Not Theory." Subscribe to be edified and not lied to anymore.

[@lethyguaimare]

So the naval battle in the coliseum arena was an actual thing that happened? Because that and the rhino made me feel like it was the Roman Empire in the Hunger Games/Fast and Furious universe rather than our own 😅

[@ReelHistory]

Yes, they had boats floating around in there, though they were usually reenactments and not actual combat.

[@susah135]

You know what else would feel not real in ancient Rome? Commercials in colosseum! Yes, they really advertised new businesses like new bakers in town, or new wineries etc. And Ridley Scott didn't put that in Gladiator (2000) because the audience would say it was fake. Well, sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.

[@GabrielSanchez-ge1bs]

Naval battles did happen but not sure about a mounted rhino. Seems to be b.s.

[@pbodyblaque2532]

Well, at least he has a reference & downed the screen writers last movie “Napoleon”before judging this one. And he realizes, this is Hollywood.

[@RHR1991]

Denzel plays Macrinus according to IMDB, so the movie has 3 emperors. Also, I am excited to see a Naumachia recreated.

[@ReelHistory]

Didn't want to spoil it for viewers! ;-)

[@Kruhn]

So we're at the cusp of the Crisis of The Third Century.

[@interdimensionalsteve8172]

Was he black...? I know there were black emperors, but did they change this guy to fit the wonderful Denzel?

[@RHR1991]

@@interdimensionalsteve8172 he was Berber from Algeria, so I guess he had a dark skin but from an ethnic point of view someone like Tahar Rahim would have been a more accurate casting choice.

[@rishavkumar1250]

​@@interdimensionalsteve8172 black emperors like Septimius Severus ?

[@awesomedayz3465]

Good writing is what I crave. Not a spectacle.

[@Turambar88]

I think you're being quite a bit too generous with this.

[@travisspazz1624]

Ridley being dismissive of historians gives life lol. Keep em coming!!

[@ReelHistory]

Cheers!

[@SoloDeus_Rey]

Macrinus (Denzel) …. born on the northern coast of Africa (present day Algeria). Ancient Rome was ALWAYS multi-ethnic. Bet it stings you inside😂😂😂😂

[@ReelHistory]

@@SoloDeus_Rey, why would that sting us?

[@SoloDeus_Rey]

@@ReelHistory oh sorry, this was meant for another comment 🫡

[@justlivelife9512]

Macrinus was not black though

[@ReelHistory]

We should have elaborated more. We merely pointed out the fact that the empire was more diverse than typical Hollywood has acknowledged.

[@frankyyaggabot6222]

@@ReelHistory Darker complexion (your answer elsewhere) and diverse is a cop-out (do you have to perpetuate little lies to survive amongst modern academics?). North Africans were not black in Roman times and few are now. You might be interested to know that from a genetic stand-point Berbers/Amazigh are more DNA adjacent to Anglo-Saxons than they are to Bantu/Niger Congo (black) persons in West Africa. The black-ificaion of History (amongst Britons, Nordics, Greeks, Egyptians, ... ) is something your profession in modern times seems to lack the balls to address (and in actual fact some 'Historians' have been caught out actually promulgating these falsehoods). What hope is there for modern Historians when they cannot even get the superficial correct?

[@eastsidemuu]

He was tho.. he was berber.. berbers where blk befor European slave trade, roman conquest, germanic invasion, arsb conquests, french conquest.. peoples stock change just like america, Australia exc

[@ReelHistory]

@@frankyyaggabot6222, no need to be rude about it. I'm not lying about anything, though I will concede I could have worded that part better.

[@DaveReece-u4b]

@@frankyyaggabot6222Berbers, or North Africans were not one ethnicity, it was diverse. You’re doing the same thing you’re accusing the creator of.

[@santiago4654]

To be honest I'm kinda low-key looking forward to watching this movie besides the music they used for the trailer

[@Bynggo]

Thank you for referring to the time as AD.

[@knowthyselfinstitute]

Black people existed in Rome. In every level of society. Who knew 🤯

[@timverba4830]

What is the purpose of using the real life names of characters if you are going to follow a fictitious story.? Why not just use a fictitious name also?

[@Balla1527]

An American history professor.... didn't know they existed beyond 1600.

[@ruggedtechie5867]

People are upset becasmuse there are black people in rome .....thats like being upset that black peopld are in newyork . Africa is closer to italy than the uniteed states..rome had slavery but it wasnt based on skin color . People are just slow to be honest

[@zayjones2885]

Not only that but they’re mad that a black man is leading white peasants!

[@cbbcbb6803]

Works of fiction, not history nor journalism, that was loosly inspired and suggested by history.

[@TonyODonnell]

what happened Lucius, got a bang on the head and woke up with amnesia, couldn't remember his own shadow .......

[@Giovanni_Gabrielli]

"interesting soundrack selection" is a very agreeable periphrasis Professor, as a roman myself. Quo usque tandem, Scott abuteris patientia nostra??? Quamdiu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? Quem ad finem sese effrenata iactabit audacia???

[@4rnnr_as]

I'm surprised you brought up the helmet as being a bit artistic. When I watched I was happy to see they actually used a design taken from history. The pompeii museum has an example that looks nearly identical that was excavated from that city, and numerous depictions from the empire's own timeframe show gladiators decked out with such wide-brimmed and screened helmets. EDIT: in retrospect, the helmets worn in the first film were almost entirely fictional (Maximus' helmet from the 'Carthage fight', the 'boar' helmet the guy who gets decapitated in Zucchabar...)

[@gullyfeather4330]

yeah, that helmet seems to just be the pompeii one, its the most accurate thing in the trailer. Im not really sure what reel history is talking about here, it kinda undermines his credibility tbh.

[@4rnnr_as]

@@gullyfeather4330 I guess he's just not really up to speed on Roman/classical stuff. He's very good with American History.

[@gullyfeather4330]

@@4rnnr_as yeah, makes sense. To be fair, its also sometimes difficult to remember stuff off the cuff as you're speaking

[@AliNadem]

Best reaction, glad you touched base in the beginning on the possible spiritual cameo of russel crowe

[@ThatLadyBird]

I hope this pop song isnt in the actual movie...just sayin 😬

[@marklivingstone3710]

After that monstrosity called Napoleon, I think I’ll give this one a miss. Ridley Scott has screwed his credibility and reputation so I’ll take his suggestion and just f*ck off. I accept, I wasn’t there so what would I know. I guess RS was there so he obviously knows better.

[@martinB68]

Original film was fantastic ,now we have a box ticking sequal with Rap music. No suprise nowdays.

[@Known_as_G_M]

No surprise you don't know history...

[@martinB68]

What ever ,it must be down to that i was born in the 60s. And never had history at school back then i suppose. Even though i made a comment on the Film not the history. But its the New World nowdays. Thanks for your great comment.

[@Known_as_G_M]

@@martinB68 What do you mean by box ticking? Sounds dog whistely. Just come right out and say what you mean. A lot of you couch what you mean in indecipherable sayings.

[@sppindrgold1981]

​@@Known_as_G_MLol He said what he meant by following it up with 'and rap music', then made sure to mention he wasn't talking about the historical accuracy but the film itself, which he has yet to watch👀🤔💀💀

[@rogerrobinson2869]

Funny how little we know about the AD's, their Empires, the ethnic diversity, society groups and populations. I wonder why 🤔🤔

[@TheRoidemortetfleur]

This is a drama hollywood movie. Not a documentary. Hello. Are you going to tell me a mystery book isn't real. Yes this takes place in roman time. Yet it is just a drama fiction about the time. It looks good to me. Rome imploded. This indicates that and this trailer seems to take that in the next step.

[@divinuminfernum]

i do like that the plot can involve again actual historical figures - of course they will all be greatly fictionalised, but fortunately the real life characters have enough luridness to them to make it fit

[@Giovanni_Gabrielli]

And actually I'm not even finished. When The Gladiator came out, here in Rome EVERY SINGLE ROMAN was so invested, I was 10 at the time, Russell Crowe was actually nominated "Ambassador of Rome in the World" by the Mayor of Rome recently.... and he is active too. He said he feels like the uncle of all romans and he's not wrong, people deified him, you can't imagine what the hell of a HUGE thing that film was. I was strolling around where Julius Caesar was slain... I was like "...whatever...". Because I am used to it, that's it. A.S. Roma Football Club even had a limited edition of the DVD.... The point is, this is not going to go well, the expectations are too high as a sequel of a film that was THAT big here. The last time I've been at the Colosseum was for May the 4th be with you (Star Wars) and I thought the idea was cool, you can find articles and pics online. When Crowe left after being nominated ambassador, he said "Sono sempre al servizio di Roma." (I am always at the service of Rome) causing the entire city to chant his name to the airport. Sorry Scott, you cannot top that.

[@zinhlekheswa5237]

Say I'm programmed to whiteness and this is infuriating me.

[@Emanon...]

Pedro Pascal and Denzel? I'm in. Just for the spectacle.

[@juicypanda677]

Paul Mescal is also one of the best actors out rn and has been smart with the roles he chooses which gets my hopes up for this movie even higher still skeptical of course though

[@Cormano980]

You mean the woke circus

[@juicypanda677]

@@Cormano980 huh

[@curtisthomas2670]

A poorly educated ws type rolled off his little sistercousin to join the comments

[@charlesadeoye1404]

Okay Ancient Kemet/Egypt played by Caucasians, no problem, interesting

[@eclecticx]

I have but this to say... Dear Hollywood, You make being an American on European soil very uncomfortable. You, in fact, make me ashamed to be American. Why? Your historical fiction movies and series. Yes, they are fiction. But they are also historical. Yet you routinely and maliciously disrespect the ethnicities, history, and culture of where these movies and series occur in the interests of ideology and identity politics. On many occasions you even do this with straight-up historical productions (Cleopatra, for one). Gladiator 2 is the latest in a long line of insensitive and offensive offerings. Would it really have been so difficult to cast - oh I don't know - a Spanish actor for a Spanish role instead of a South American one? Not to mention this is adding insult to injury since you in Hollywood think it's okay to cast South Americans as Spaniards and have time and again. You're aware that Ancient Rome was over here, right, in Italy and not the American continent? I trust you're also aware that while Denzel Washington is a FINE actor, the elevated status and wealth of a character with that ethnicity in Ancient Rome has no historical precedence. Yes, there was a Macrinus. He was Algerian, born in Caesarea in Mauretania. He later became Emperor and was NEVER a lanista. Maybe it might have been a good idea to cast an Algerian, it being another pivotal role and all, or give the character a different name since they cannot possibly be the same. This is Macrinus reconstructed, by the way: www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/roman-emperors-recreations-haroun-binous-artist-6046229a3163d__700.jpg Thus, I must ask... Is it truly such a Herculean task to reflect accurately? The point of historical fiction is to teach history while entertaining. It should not be used as a vehicle for ideology and/or identity politics. When it is, it misinforms. Do the rest of the world a favor, Hollywood. Focus on the history of the US and muck with that all you wish, but please stay away from the histories of other countries until you learn to respect and adhere to that history regardless how uncomfortable or nondiverse that history is.

[@ricardoleonor1647]

Using that logic... the original should only have casted Italians no? Not Australians, Swedes, Scotsmen and Englishmen?

[@eclecticx]

@@ricardoleonor1647 Ancient Rome was incredibly diverse, but its diversity did not extend to Australia, South America, and the like. Russell Crowe, great as he was, didn't belong in his role. Why veer off when the casting conflicts with the character? There are exceptions, of course. Neanderthals and Denisovans are no longer around. LOL At any rate, you should find the best actor that fits the part. Ditto if you have a fictional character that is Spanish, Scottish, English, Egyptian, Indigenous American, South American, African, Chinese, whatever, you should cast someone as true to the source as you can basically. If you're doing historical fiction and wish something different, add it with an original role rather than twist what existed prior. Just make sure that what you create works within the framework of the period and place. That isn't misinforming. It's simply augmenting.

[@Kruhn]

It won't be historically correct, but it'll show a bit of the daily life of the Roman Empire. I wonder if they're going to show the beginnings of the Crisis of the Third Century.

[@NordicTG]

Paul Mescal played Lucius in the 2000s "Gladiator" didnt he right? so there is he & Connie Neilsen that are the two from the first Movie, though Paul is not the Emperor s nephew & plays Warrior whom fought Rome & whom was captured & became a Gladiator I assume. Also Pedro Pascal is playing a guy whom apprently served with Maximus but I dunno how or why, still pretty cool stuff.

[@newera478]

3:48 Why would you push against your blade with your right hand? These fight choreographers must be the same who did Witcher.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

There were set photos of Lucius wearing Maximus’ armor. Which I would assume are from the climax, and will be the spiritual callback. Honestly, this trailer confirmed to me why “Gladiator” won Best Picture, but not Best Director. The producers of the original film clearly reeled in Ridley Scott’s worst impulses, since “Gladiator II” looks like a bombastic mess.

[@cinematography513]

Wow ur so dumm. Ridley is literally one of the best directors ever, Best Picture yeah but that picture was made by him, and not by mickey mouse 😅 jeez ur embarrassing!

[@EddieHenderson92]

YEAH YO, Gladiators in the mother fu@king house, bring the swords and let's have a rap battle.

[@angelusthor251]

Cringe

[@hemi5.7awdpursuit5]

@anelusthor251 or better yet coming out during election month. Next movie should be negroid Vikings with dreadlocks orgins 👀🫨🫨🫨🫨👨🏿‍🦲👨🏿‍🦲👨🏿‍🦲🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@lucky-13gof47]

Listen to the actual words before you judge.

[@EddieHenderson92]

@@lucky-13gof47 Yo

[@curtisthomas2670]

Poorly educated ws types rolling off their little sistercousins to post comments 😅

[@cryptopanthers]

thats what you get when your fathers fed u a lifetime of lies to make you feel comfortable in your high horse

[@ljgaming639]

I'm surprised Ridley Scott didn't include Julius Caesar battling Napoleon in Alaska.

[@hemi5.7awdpursuit5]

So Denzel would be President Obama of Rome originally

[@jake1776]

Denzel looks like he’s playing in Training Day II. This looks unwatchable.

[@devongardner2928]

No one’s asking you to watch it

[@ajpal9618]

How is he playing trying day two ?

[@jake1776]

@@devongardner2928 yeah- and few others will either. This is a financial catastrophe

[@ScrubbersGhost]

⁠@@devongardner2928pretty sure the studio is.

[@smokeycat2011]

@@devongardner2928 He's allowed to have an opinion. It does look unwatchable.

[@faeembrugh]

The original film was a new take on the old sword-and-sandal type film of the 50s/60s. Not sure the impact of a re-run of the same plot will be quite as popular at the box office.

[@cassardean]

Can’t believe the first film is a quarter of a century old!! Looking forward to the sequel - filmed in my home country of Malta like the first film.

[@eddieharr]

I for one cant wait. It's a fantasy esque film just set in ancient Rome. Can't treat it like a historical film like Napoloen was meant to be (and terrible).

[@kuvasz5252]

Unless it has Steve Reeves in it it isn't a real sandal and toga movie.

[@Giovanni_Gabrielli]

SPOILER ALERT Professor, as a roman myself following your lectures, I just "witnessed" the film. And the only accurate thing i have to say about it is the citation of Vergil's verse. When I saw inscriptions and wrtitings in......english, i wept blood. I'll take the original film over this any day. The cast is great, although I believe they didn't belong to this movie. The constant use of the latin saying "Vae Victis" (woes to the conquered) is straining at best...... Magister, donec iterum convenient.

[@seanohalloran384]

Definitely don’t want force ghost Russel Crowe. A dream sequence or a flashback maybe but nothing corny just for fan service. It would be cool if they acknowledged some real history too. That’s one of the things that the first film at least tried to do. PS Are they going to make Braveheart 2 now? Lol. Great video!

[@ReelHistory]

We want "Glory 2," because it was only half the story/war!

[@Strengthinevidence]

I didn’t even finish Napoleon because it was pretty boring honestly