It was the cinematic event of last week, namely the publication of the very first trailer for Gladiator 2, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s masterpiece. The release of the trailer was a huge media tidal wave, to the point where everyone was talking about it, especially on social networks. Obviously, it’s the sequel to one of the greatest action films of the last 30 years and one of the best in the filmography of grandpa Ridley, who proves to us once again that he has what it takes at the height of his 86 years. But here’s the thing: even if the trailer for Gladiator 2 has already achieved more than 15 million views in only 6 days, it is also one of the trailers worst received by viewers. More than 350,000 dislikes against 149,000 “likes”, what happened? Why did people hate it so much?
Gladiator 2 is clearly one of the most anticipated films of 2024, but it will probably be the one where fans will be the most uncompromising, despite the presence of Ridley Scott at the helm of the project. For many people, Ridley Scott is responsible for the destruction of several of his franchises. Ridley Scott is a filmmaker capable of releasing gems or masterpieces like Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, State of Lies or not so great works like GI Jane, Cartel, Exodus, All the Money in the World or House of Gucci (and no, we will not mention Napoleon, because I liked the film). In short, there is one thing that cannot be taken away from Ridley Scott, it is that he is prolific and that he never rests on his laurels. He knows how to take risks.
So what is the criticism of the Gladiator 2 trailer? Of the more than 31,000 comments, we can see that the first thing that stands out is the choice of music in this trailer. Obviously, with US rap sprinkled with vocoder in a gladiator movie, it was pretty obvious that fans of the first movie were going to scream. The choice of music was “No Church in the Wild” by Jay Z and Kanye West, a song that is over 10 years old and that already spoke of confrontation, of course, but which obviously has no place in a movie like Gladiator 2, I agree. An incomprehensible choice for many Internet users who did not fail to react under the video. There are several messages that made me laugh like this one:
“When rap started playing, I thought Vin Diesel was going to come rolling in with his V8.”
“Whoever put this song in the trailer needs to be sent into the arena with the lions.”
“Jay-Z’s rap definitely transported me straight to 476 AD!”
It’s hard not to agree with them, especially since Hans Zimmer wasn’t chosen to work on the soundtrack for Gladiator 2. Harry Gregson-Williams was the one who inherited the title, a British composer who has already worked with Ridley Scott, notably on Man on Fire, The Martian, Kingdom of Heaven, House of Gucci and The Last Duel. So the two men know each other and they know what they’re doing. But have you ever wondered why a song by Jay Z and Kanye West was chosen for Gladiator 2? To hook the viewer, especially the American one. Rap is not only the most listened to musical style in the world and mainly in the United States, but it also allows you to have good beats in a movie trailer. Was it Ridley Scott who chose this song? I doubt it, but he probably approved it. Because with a budget of over $310 million, the movie has no right to fail at the box office. And that’s also why the trailer goes overboard, with more than 3 minutes of footage, because the producers want to seduce the audience right away, by showing that the film will be generous, in terms of visual richness, and that’s the case, the film is sumptuous in terms of sets, it’s grandiose, it’s a feast for the eyes. So many images are also to tell us that there will be a lot of action, sometimes excessive, with this coliseum filled with water with sharks, this warrior rhinoceros that Ridley wanted to include in the first episode 24 years ago and gladiator fights, and that’s why we’re going to go to the theater of course.
Finally, the third and final point that has angered a lot of people in this trailer for Gladiator 2 is the presence of Denzel Washington. For two reasons: the first is that he will play Macrinus, who is not historically a black man, so a lot of talk about blackwashing. Personally, I don’t mind that it’s Denzel, the guy is a legend and one of the greatest actors we know, but I can understand that it makes people cringe. By the way, a little aside, I saw Equalizer 3 recently, on my flight from Paris to Los Angeles to go play Star Wars Outlaws, and I found him excellent in it, as often. No, the other aspect that bothers me a little more in the trailer for Gladiator 2 and the few images we saw of him is that he gives the impression of playing his role in Training Day. A feeling that many characters also share. It’s true that in his look and his gestures, we have the feeling of being in front of a real gangster from Los Angeles, rather than a Roman emperor who was feared. Afterwards, once again, I trust the actor who no longer needs to prove to us that he is the boss, but be careful not to go off topic.
What did you think of this first trailer for Gladiator 2? Were you disappointed, or are you more hyped than ever? Don’t you feel like we’re also going for a repeat of the first film in terms of story? A sort of reboot sequel, which I can perfectly understand, since 24 years have passed between the two episodes, so there are several generations of viewers to seduce. The stakes for the film are colossal, Ridley Scott has already flopped several times at the box office, so it feels like Paramount is doing everything it can to seduce as many people as possible, even if it means making others angry… Definitive answer on November 13, 2024.
