Perhaps no moment better sums up the theme and purpose of Gladiator II than when the film’s hero, Lucius “Hanno” Verus (Paul Mescal), needing courage and inspiration, seeks it at a literal altar to the first film’s hero, Maximus, inscribed with his catchphrase over a display of his iconic armor.

Gladiator II is nothing if not reverent to Gladiator, replaying the same emotional beats of its predecessor as Hanno, like Maximus before him, is enslaved as a gladiator and seeks revenge against the corrupt rulers of Rome.

Perhaps no moment better sums up the theme and purpose of Gladiator II than when the film’s hero, Lucius “Hanno” Verus (Paul Mescal), needing courage and inspiration, seeks it at a literal altar to the first film’s hero, Maximus, inscribed with his catchphrase over a display of his iconic armor.

Gladiator II is nothing if not reverent to Gladiator, replaying the same emotional beats of its predecessor as Hanno, like Maximus before him, is enslaved as a gladiator and seeks revenge against the corrupt rulers of Rome.

To its credit, the film is a lavish visual spectacle with impressive action sequences and carefully choreographed fight scenes. But in worshipping the original, it loses much of the tight narrative and emotional punch while somehow displaying an even weaker grasp of history.

Of course, no one in the Year of Our Lord 2024 is watching a Ridley Scott historical epic expecting much in the way of historical accuracy. Nevertheless, the original Gladiator has left a significant impression on the public understanding of the Roman Empire, and Gladiator II seems certain to be similarly impactful. But while the events of Gladiator were fictional, they were at least tied thematically, if not factually, to the reigns of the emperors Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180) and his son Commodus (r. 180-192). The same cannot be said for the sequel.

Director Ridley Scott and Mescal on the set of Gladiator II.Paramount Pictures

To start, Gladiator II cannot even decide what year it is. The audience is repeatedly informed it has been 16 years since the first film, which suggests the year is 208. Yet the film is set during the joint reign of Caracalla (r. 211-217) and Geta (d. 211), which would place the film in 211, though an early title card declares the year A.D. 200, putting it also in the reign of Septimius Severus (r. 193-211). However, the film opens with a Roman invasion of North Africa, suggesting someone has confused the A.D. 200s with the Punic Wars of the 200s B.C.

The film’s troubles with history do not end with the date. In this opening invasion, the Romans assault the........

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