The first trailer for the long-awaited “Gladiator 2” just dropped, and sadly, it looks like the film’s going exactly where you’d expect.
A couple of things to note from the trailer: there seems to be an excessive emphasis on visual effects. Sure, rhino-riding and colosseum sea battles look cool, but if director Ridley Scott is counting on this to carry an underdeveloped plot, then we’re likely to wind up something like Godzilla v. Kong in Rome.
Next, we have Denzel Washington cast as Macrinus, the elite powerbroker/slave-owner who schemes to seize power from the Emperor. Macrinus was a real person, and he came from an upper-class family of Berber origins. While the Berbers were a North African tribe, there’s little reason to believe he would have been black.
But, fresh off his woke Napoleon biopic and feminist re-make of “Rashomon,” Scott likely just saw this as the easiest way to beef up the film’s “diversity.” It’s actually rather racist; ignore historical African diversity to paint a picture that caters to modern prejudices.
Don’t get me wrong: Denzel is one of the greatest actors of our time, and he’ll likely carry the film. But frankly, it’s an insult to his abilities to flub the historical accuracy of a character just to use him as a DEI checkbox.
Lastly, what “baffled” viewers most was the soundtrack choice in the trailer. As the trailer reaches its climax, Jay-Z and Kanye West’s song “No Church in the Wild” dramatically begins to play. What’s next? Ice Spice and Cardi B twerking on each other for a colosseum half-time show? Why don’t we have Lady Gaga fly down from the sky?
Don’t expect the type of suspended reality that made the original “Gladiator” so great; viewers won’t be transported to ancient Rome. Rather, they’ll likely pay $17 for a ticket to a very modern political diatribe. Alas, I probably still won’t be able to resist going to see it.
“Are you not entertained?” Hope for the best, but unfortunately, you probably won’t be.
Watch the original ‘Gladiator’ trailer:
Iconic scenes from the original movie:
