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If the internet is to be believed, men simply cannot stop thinking about the Roman empire, and Hollywood, not surprisingly, seems to be no exception. Storytelling trends come and go, but the Roman epic has been a persistent staple of blockbuster cinema for over a century. Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, which premiered 25 years ago, marked a major resurgence for the genre, winning an Oscar for Best Picture and sparking a new wave of action-packed, history-steeped films. Now, Gladiator II, Scott’s surprisingly belated follow-up, continues this trend, delivering a new chapter of gladiatorial violence and revenge.
The new film, Gladiator II, substitutes Paul Mescal’s brooding intensity for Russell Crowe’s commanding roar, but otherwise follows the same formula as its predecessor. Mescal plays Lucius, the son (thanks to some narrative revisionism) of Maximus, the Roman general turned gladiator played by Crowe. Lucius’s journey, marked by capture, imprisonment, and revenge, takes him to the same bloody arena, all while audiences are treated to grisly theatrics. While the film lacks the magnetism of Crowe’s performance and leans into a somewhat muddier aesthetic, it remains a thrilling experience, as Scott directs it like a sword-and-sandal B-movie with an A-movie budget. This is a movie that piles on the gore and absurdity—sharks in the Roman Colosseum, why not?
But Gladiator II isn’t the first in a long line of films to draw inspiration from the ancient world. The “sword-and-sandal” genre, which often evokes historical or biblical settings with grandiose action sequences, has a storied history in cinema. The term itself originates from the Italian-made epics of the 1950s and 1960s, which were a cheaper, more campy answer to Hollywood’s lavish productions. These films were often a cocktail of adventure, fantasy, and machismo, with absurd storylines blending with vivid imagery. Take, for example, Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (1961), a true sword-and-sandal film that mixes ancient settings with outlandish fantasy, where a bodybuilder hero raised by lions takes on impossible feats. It’s popcorn cinema at its finest.
Before Gladiator brought back the Roman epic, classics like Ben-Hur (1959) had already laid the groundwork for the genre. Ben-Hur, with its legendary chariot race, took home 11 Oscars and provided audiences with a massive, sweeping spectacle filled with Roman history and Christian undertones. Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960) further injected the genre with political relevance, balancing the sweaty heroism of the action with deeper reflections on freedom and power. Its themes were undercut with just the right amount of homoeroticism—tastefully restrained compared to some of the Italian productions that followed, like Son of Samson (1960), in which Herculean strongman Maciste flexes his way to revolutionary glory.
But, as with all things in Hollywood, trends fade. In 1964, the intelligent yet box-office-flopping The Fall of the Roman Empire marked the end of an era for prestige sword-and-sandal films. Instead, more low-budget productions took over, often blending the ancient world with outlandish fantasy. Films like Jason and the Argonauts (1963), with its stop-motion creature effects by Ray Harryhausen, paved the way for the pulpy sword-and-sorcery genre that followed—movies like Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Red Sonja (1985) abandoned historical accuracy in favor of pure spectacle and violence. These were films where mythology met muscle-bound heroes and fantastical creatures—no research required, just big swords and bigger biceps.
Despite Gladiator’s return to a more historical approach, the genre always finds its way back to pure, unadulterated hokum. Zack Snyder’s 300 (2007), a stylized retelling of the Greco-Persian wars, delivered a comic-book aesthetic and blood-soaked violence, epitomizing the genre’s penchant for visual flair. Similarly, Neil Marshall’s Centurion (2010) brought Roman-era action into a stormy, brutal world, starring Michael Fassbender as a Roman soldier on a deadly quest. But the film that most embodies the post-Gladiator era for me is Immortals (2011), directed by Tarsem Singh. This Greek mythology-based film is a body-beautiful fever dream, full of gorgeous visuals and absurd, larger-than-life battles. It’s not here to educate; it’s here to entertain, and it does so with style.
Gladiator II has certainly re-entered the fold, but it’s just the latest chapter in a long tradition of sword-and-sandal movies. Whether it’s the prestige of Ben-Hur or the campy fun of Ursus in the Valley of the Lions, this genre knows no bounds. It brings out the best (and the absurd) in ancient history, offering epic spectacles that will continue to thrill audiences for generations to come. So, if you’re in the mood for bloody gladiatorial combat and heroic feats in the shadow of the Roman empire, Gladiator II is ready to take its place in this storied tradition. And as always, the best sword-and-sandal films will give you more than just history—they’ll give you the excess of things to look at, and that’s what makes them so thrilling.