Twenty-four years after the fantastic story of gladiator Maximus, the sequel Gladiator II is an equally great spectacle that makes you forget about historical accuracy in storytelling.
The Ridley Scott cinematic masterpiece that made you forget all other Russel Crowe movies comes back to the big screen with greater breathtaking spectacle than before. Gladiator II is such a visual pleasure that no historical inaccuracy can make you avert the eye from the screen.
It is a given that to bring a piece of history to the big screen requires some bending of time and historical figures. However, let’s not forget that this is not a history film but a big studio blockbuster, so the viewer’s amazement and disbelief is as obligatory as heavy armor and killer swords in a gladiator fight in ancient Rome‘s Colosseum.
The son of the gladiator
In the original Gladiator, there was the villainous emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the nemesis of Russell Crowe’s Maximus. Several years later, Rome is ruled by two brothers who are not much better than Commodus. Probably, they are worse, but every film story must have a villain the audience would abhor.
The Gladiator II story takes place during the reign of the co-emperors Caracalla (played by Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn) in the beginning of 3rd century AD. In true Roman style of the time, Caracalla murdered his brother so he could be the sole emperor of Rome.
The film follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus in the first movie. He is an adult now and lives in the North African kingdom, Numidia. He has a new identity so as to escape from the cruel Roman politics. He has changed identity to not be recognized by the Romans.
When Roman forces, led by Tribun Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), invade Numidia to create the Nova Africa, they kill Lucius’ wife and capture him. Roman gladiator owner and arms dealer Macrinus (Denzel Washington) buys him and transports him to Rome. There, like his father in the past, Lucius is forced to become a gladiator and fight to the death for his master’s profit.
Macrinus and Numidia
While the story of Gladiator II takes place in 200 AD, Numidia had already become a Roman province after Julius Caesar’s victory at the Battle of Thapsus in 46 AD. Numidia (modern-day Algeria) was divided then. The eastern part formed the province Africa Nova, and the western region around Cirta became a Roman colony. By the early 3rd century AD, the Roman emperor Septimius Severus made Numidia an independent province.
As for Macrinus, he was indeed a real person. However, he was not a gladiator owner and arms dealer. Macrinus served under Emperor Caracalla as a praetorian prefect dealing with Rome’s civil affairs because the young Caracalla did not care much.
Again, in traditional Roman style of the era, he conspired against Caracalla and ordered his murder to protect his own life and succeeded him as emperor for a little over a year (April 217-June 218 AD). In the movie, however, Macrinus kills Caracalla with his own hands and in public, at the Circus Maximus.
The portrayal of Macrinus’ timing is another historical misstep. Although he rose to power under Septimius Severus and Caracalla, Macrinus did not become emperor until 217 AD, and not around 200 AD.
Furthermore, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), the second daughter of Marcus Aurelius and sister to Commodus who was in the first Gladiator movie, plays a significant role in the film. However, she did not exist in 200 AD because she was killed by her brother Commodus in 182 AD.
“No sharks, rhinos or battleships in the Colosseum”
The author of the book Blood in the Arena: The Roman Games and professor of Roman history at the University of Arizona Alison Futrell said she enjoyed the movie, but she pointed out some historical inaccuracies in Gladiator II.
First of all, she said it was impossible to have naval battles in the Colosseum. With a size of approximately 85 X 55 meters, it was too small to stage naval battles in there. More importantly, however, underneath the Colosseum ground there were cells, tunnels, and halls for various uses that would have flooded if such an endeavor took place within the venue.
Regarding the sharks in the arena, Futrell said it would be impossible to coral sharks in the Colosseum, especially when there are no sharks in the Mediterranean. As for the gladiator riding a rhino, the history professor noted it is very hard (if not impossible) to ride a rhino.
Nevertheless, leaving aside the inaccurate timeline and the historical exaggerations, the film is a lavish portrayal of Roman lifestyle in the mid-imperial period. It has plenty of fascinating action, impressive costumes, and great acting so that the historical inaccuracies are secondary to the enjoyment one gets.
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