Gladiator 2 does something better than the first film, continuing Ridley Scott's trend

Gladiator 2 it looks unmistakably better than the first film, continuing a long-standing trend for director Ridley Scott. As a sequel to the iconic Gladiator, Gladiator 2 it would always be compared to its predecessor in some aspects. Gladiator 2The cast of , for example, was generally praised, but many reviews stated that the film lacked the Russell Crowe influence of the first film. At the time of Gladiator 2By the end of, more comparisons between Ridley Scott's two films became clear.

One such comparison was the emotional impact of the film, with Gladiator 2Film reviews stating that the first film had a stronger sense of drama and resonance. Although many comparisons have seen Gladiator 2 considered inferior to the first film, there are still many things that the 2024 sequel improves on. Despite Gladiatorthe cast and moving story are above its successor, Gladiator 2 it has a standout aspect that regularly proves to have been handled more competently, continuing a trend in Ridley Scott's filmography.

Gladiator 2's action scenes are better than Gladiator's

Both films have excellent action, making Gladiator 2's improvement on the first more impressive.

The element in question is Gladiator 2action. The many fight sequences found in Gladiator are exceptional and only match the strong emotional core of Maximus' character arc. While the emotion of Gladiator 2 may be considered deficient at certain points in the story, the same can never be said of its action and spectacle. This becomes evident right at the beginning of the story, with Gladiator 2The Roman siege of Numidia. Small historical inaccuracies aside, this action sequence is breathtaking.

From the sweeping scenes of the Roman navy firing catapults at the fortress to the one-on-one fight sequences involving Paul Mescal's Lucius, the opening action scene surpasses that of its predecessor. The action doesn't stop there, though, with each of Lucius' gladiator fights providing the same thrill. The action is simply more confident in Gladiator 2 than it was in its predecessor, which is significant, given the strength of these moments in the latter. Overall, the action is one of the elements that Scott has only improved upon with the long-awaited sequel, continuing his upward trend.

Gladiator 2 is another reminder of how excellent action director Ridley Scott is

Scott's recent films prove his prime talent as a director

Gladiator 2The action becomes even more impressive when remembering that director Ridley Scott is 87 years old. The frenetic but no less comprehensible nature of the action has the energy of a much younger filmmaker, proving that age is something that doesn't concern Scott. In fact, over the past few years, Scott has only proven how capable he still is as an action director, with Gladiator 2 putting the icing on the cake. Not all of Scott's recent films have involved epic sequences like Gladiator 2but those that have proved he's still one of Hollywood's best action directors.

Napoleon was released in 2023 and although generally criticized for shallow characterization and an unfocused story, many agree that the climactic Battle of Waterloo was an excellent sequence. The scene was undoubtedly the best in the film, proving Scott's directing skills in battles and conflicts. 2021 The Last Duel it was more of a drama, but one that built up to the titular event in the final act. This brutal and bloody battle was an excellent climax to showcase the film's dramatic and emotional poignancy, showing how Scott can tie fantastic action to a strong narrative.

Then there's Scott Foreigner previous films that feature a mix of action Aliens and the horror aspects of the original Foreigner. Both Prometheus and Alien: Alliance have their standout action scenes despite receiving divisive reviews, from the former's storm sequence and the Engineer's final battle to the latter's showdowns involving the pretomorphic aliens. Evidently, Scott's recent career has continued a trend he demonstrated early in his Hollywood tenure: a distinct eye for big action, which Gladiator 2 it just continues to stand out.

Ridley Scott really needs to make a proper action movie after Gladiator 2

With all that said, Ridley Scott should commit to making a pure action film later Gladiator 2. Despite the strengths of the many battles and fight scenes mentioned, Scott's post-2010 career has been marked by critical division over the narrative. Both the aforementioned Foreigner films, Napoleonand even Gladiator 2 received more negative reviews than Scott's previous films due to its lackluster stories or emotional detachment. Not to mention films like Exodus: Gods and Kings and Robin Hood which had some hopefully good action scenes, but lacked narrative weight.

With that in mind, Maybe it's time for Scott to move away from scripts that have narrative drawbacks but cool action sequences, and dive head first into a proper action movie.. Imagine someone with Scott's eye for fight scenes directing a pure action movie in the style of John Wick, the equalizeror other more straightforward action franchises are incredibly compelling. This way, Scott's talent can shine without being hampered by disappointing scripts, as the focus of the film is the action itself, continuing the trend that was once again proven by Gladiator 2.