‘They Really Did Their Homework’: Ridley Scott’s $462 Action Epic Praised by Real Warfare Expert

by

Set to release in 2024, the new film is the sequel to Ridley Scott’s acclaimed 2000 epic. The movie delivers intense, violent action, and a recent analysis by a warfare expert found that some of its depictions are surprisingly realistic.

Historian Roel Konijnendijk, appearing on Insider’s ‘How Real Is It?’ series, praised the accuracy of the gladiator battles in the upcoming film Gladiator II, starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. He was particularly impressed by the details in a sea battle scene, revealing that the ships were modeled after ancient Roman designs. Konijnendijk added that the filmmakers cleverly combined elements from different historical periods, showing they’d thoroughly researched how these ships would have looked.

Despite this, the ship near Konijnendijk is unusual. It still has its masts and sails up, which is strange because warships preparing for battle typically remove them. Ancient naval battles relied on rowing, not sailing – warships didn’t use sails at all. It’s simply not how things were done.

Konijnendijk also pointed out a historical inaccuracy in the show. He questioned a moment where Pascal’s character declared a city “for the glory of Rome,” explaining that Numidia had actually been conquered hundreds of years prior. He did acknowledge, however, that the city’s coastal location was a visually interesting detail.

Konijnendijk, in his detailed examination, was especially intrigued by how Numidia was portrayed. He noted the city’s defenses extended all the way to the water’s edge, featuring a double wall system in the film. This included an outer wall right at the surf line, with passages leading to a second, inner wall. This layered approach was a common and effective defensive strategy for larger cities throughout history, as it provided a second line of defense if the initial wall was breached.

He pointed out that they were deliberately crowding the enemy into a small area, making them easy targets for archers and soldiers, and seemed pleased with the tactic. However, Konijnendijk was unhappy with the use of catapults launching fireballs during the water battle. He questioned Ridley, reminding him they’d discussed this – catapults always use fireballs in these kinds of films, which isn’t realistic. He argued it would likely cause their own ships to catch fire.

The Warfare Expert Also Roasted Ridley Scott’s Films, Too: “1,000 Years Out of Place”

While reviewing Gladiator II, Konijnendijk jokingly pointed out a historical inaccuracy. He paused the film during a battle scene and laughed, saying, “Wait, is that a trebuchet? Maybe Ridley Scott had some leftover props, but those weren’t used until the medieval period! The Romans didn’t have counterweight trebuchets – that’s just wrong.”

He also discussed the familiar movie trope of Romans using “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to decide fates, pointing out that, “We really don’t know what gestures they actually used. It’s become a movie symbol for ancient Rome, but isn’t based on much historical evidence.” Ultimately, Konijnendijk rated Gladiator II a 5 out of 10 for historical accuracy, despite what other critics have said.

Konijnendijk praised some aspects of the film, saying there were “great things” to enjoy. However, he felt the execution was ultimately “sloppy and messy,” with unnecessary errors.

Gladiator II is now streaming on Paramount+.

Read More

2026-01-09 17:08