The author of this article is a contributor @Red Panda
Movies are survival and life
85-year-old director Ridley Scott started his "Old IP Resurrection Project".
According to foreign media reports, the sequel to the classic epic film and the best Oscar movie "Gladiator" (2000) has been launched, and Director Lei has returned to direct and is scheduled to be released in North America on November 22, 2024.
Set 25 years after the first story, Gladiator 2 continues to tell the cruel world of ancient Rome.
Due to the 23-year gap between the two films, the previous starring Russell Crowe will not return to the original work, and the new film will be succeeded by Paul Mescal ("Normal People", "Holiday After the Sun") as the protagonist.
"Gladiator" is a historical drama blockbuster dedicated by Director Lei to global film fans at the beginning of the new century, and won five major awards such as Best Actor and Best Picture at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, and was the biggest winner of that year;
Although it is an R-rated film with a limited audience, the return on investment of the film is very considerable, with a cost of $100 million in exchange for a global box office of $500 million, which was the runner-up at the global box office that year (the champion was John Woo's "Mission Impossible 2"), and it was also the highest-grossing R-rated film that year.
The film recreates the glorious ancient Roman civilization through the perspective of a general, takes the audience to experience a bloody court battle drama, and is regarded by many as the best epic genre film since the 21st century.
The success of "Gladiator" also led to the resurgence of epic films at the beginning of the new century, such as "Troy", "Alexander the Great", "Celestial Dynasty" and "Spartan 300 Warriors".
Troy, 2004
As soon as the news of the launch and finalization of "Gladiator 2" was released, it naturally evoked the memories of fans of the previous work, of course, there was also a great degree of wait-and-see.
Some audiences expressed support, ancient Rome from the perspective of Lei Dao, lifelike, and the continuation of the classic can relive that taste; There are also many viewers who are worried that the sequel will "dog-tailed mink" and ruin the texture of the entire series.
Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe on the set of "Gladiator"
So before waiting for this sequel to release more new materials, we might as well review the classic "Gladiator".
Let's take a look at this epic masterpiece that has been 23 years ago, what charms are worth brushing again
"Gladiator" tells the story of a timeless narrative matrix - revenge.
In 180 AD, the ancient Roman Empire, at its peak, expanded and was about to end its 12-year conquest of the Germanic tribes.
And the key to the victory of ancient Rome lies in their military leader Sims (Russell Crowe).
This victorious general is not only brave and upright, but also deeply loved by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and his soldiers, and has a high prestige.
After finally defeating the Germanic tribes, Emperor Marcus Aurelius secretly summoned Sims.
He said that his time was running out, and Prince Commodus (Jacques Phoenix) was unscrupulous and embarrassed. He hoped that Sims would inherit the throne and fulfill his long-unfulfilled wish to restore the Roman Empire to the republican system that everyone yearned for.
Faced with the hot potato thrown by the old emperor, Sims decisively refused.
It turned out that Sims had long been tired of the power struggle within the royal family, and only hoped that after the end of the war, he could be disbanded and returned to his native Spain, where he could spend his life peacefully.
However, the emperor's undisguised preference made the prince Commodus jealous, and when he learned that his father would not inherit the throne to himself, an angry Commodus killed his father with his own hands and eventually succeeded to the throne.
In order to secure his rule, the brutal new emperor is determined to kill Sims.
Commodus sent people to slaughter the family of the imperial general and take him to the wilderness of the mountains, intending to secretly execute him in order to avoid future problems.
Fortunately, the battle-hardened Sims resisted in a desperate situation and successfully escaped pursuit.
But Sims, who lost his noble status and family, nearly collapsed, became a slave and sold to the merchant Prosimo, becoming a lowly gladiator who entertained the nobles through brutal and bloody fights.
However, even Sims, who fell to the bottom of his life, never gave up his desire for revenge.
With his superb martial arts and charisma, Sims stood out in the gladiatorial arena and once again captured the hearts of the people of the ancient Roman Empire.
Having regained the hearts and prestige of the people, he pointed the finger at the new king Commodus, and the pain of losing his loved ones and the humiliation of becoming a slave ignited a raging anger in Sims's heart...
Now looking at the plot of "Gladiator", it may make people feel that this is too "routine":
The prince's revenge-like plot, the not too difficult to guess the trough - the counterattack journey of the rise, and the tragic ending of Hamlet, everything is expected
But all audiences who watch the entire movie seriously can feel the exquisite and grand, calm and romantic classical narrative charm of "Gladiator".
Ridley Scott used his profound directing skills to restore the real stories that happened in history with a full sense of cinema, recreating the glorious prosperity of the Roman Empire and the image of folk heroes.
Compared with other historical movies, "Gladiator" has no red tape historical details, nor is there a son-daughter love full of gimmicks, it focuses on Sims's life several ups and downs, portraying a great but ordinary tragic character.
In the film, the director expresses his involuntary fate through the image of Sims playing with his wife and daughter in a golden wheat field.
He naturally yearns for a free life, does not want the so-called honor of fighting on the battlefield, if he can, he does not want to be a general, nor a hero, he just wants to be a dutiful father and husband.
But the impermanence of fate pushes him to the other extreme, and the destruction of his family and the ultimate killing become a tragic footnote in Sims's life.
If Wallace in "Braveheart" sacrifices his life in pursuit of the interests of his family and country, Sims is more and more self-conscious on the road to pursuing personal freedom.
They are all the ultimate embodiment of individual heroic pathos, and they are also victims of the era of war and chaos.
"Braveheart" is the representative of epic films before "Gladiator"
"Gladiator" did not deliberately take care of the audience or please historians, and Director Lei used undisguised primitive violent scenes to show the strength and brutality of the ancient Roman Empire at that time, and the film showed details such as killing, beheading, and plasma rushing to the sky with rapid flashes, which enhanced the visual impact of the film.
In addition, in "Gladiator", the magnificent ancient Roman buildings, the battles of the army in the forest, and the fierce gladiatorial scenes are all reproduced one by one by using the combination of real shooting and digital technology.
The tiger on the gladiator field in the film is done through a one-to-one model and post-CG; The city center of the ancient Roman Empire was built in 19 weeks by 200 British technicians and 100 Maltese craftsmen, with CG finishes to immerse the audience.
Finally, the performances of many powerful actors also added a lot to the film.
Russell Crowe ("Beautiful Mind", "Les Miserables") played by the protagonist Sims vividly interpreted the inner entanglement of the character, which greatly aroused the audience's empathy, and he also won the Oscar with this film, ushering in the peak of his acting career.
The performance of the villain Commodus "Uncle Phoenix" Jacques Phoenix ("Joker") is equally wonderful.
He portrayed the prince's rigid and eager mental state of recognition, and his duel with Russell Crowe in the Colosseum became one of the most classic bridges of "Gladiator".
To this day, when we watch "Gladiator" again, we can still be moved by Sims's legendary life and experience the sadness of ancient Rome from prosperity to decline at that time.
And will "Gladiator 2", which will be released next year, live up to the glory of its predecessor and take us on a magnificent journey?
You might as well retain a trust and expectation for Mr. Lei.