It's crazy how often it's difficult to gauge a movie early on by the reviews, surrounding buzz, and chatter. By all accounts, Gladiator II should have been great... at least based on its credentials. Ridley Scott has certainly proved to be a talented director, as has the other most notable figure in this production... Denzel Washington.

Yet, the movie suffered from gaping flaws, in my humble opinion... ones that should have been obvious to such veteran filmmakers, even if everyone else was just along for the ride with such powerhouses and maybe was drunk off the Kool-Aid that is power and influence?!

Snakes on a Plane

How about Sharks in an Arena? Or Sharknado for that matter. The former sounds like the title of a low-budget cash grab that MIGHT star Bruce Willis if one were splurging and able to pony up whatever was required to get that done. On the other hand, I think Samuel would find the prospect of starring in such a thing now laughable (then again, I have no damn idea what these people think and/or what motivates them... ultimately, I think it's about... what's in your wallet after all, what in life isn't to be fair). When seeing all the buzz about the aforementioned sharks, I must admit that a tinge of excitement sparked somewhere inside of me. After all, I love a lot of the other R.S. productions (the Alien movies in particular), including the recent Napoleon, and his ability to really magnify grandiosity on film. When it's done right, it can really make your mind slow down (a welcome thing nowadays), almost put butterflies in your stomach, and start one's imagination running wild in endless possibilities. Watching that kind of movie can be rejuvenating to the soul.

But Then the Curtain Fell

THIS, however, is not that kind, unfortunately... and instead can only hope to be more akin to the eponymous movie in the subtitle... yet is more likely on the level of that shark other shark movie pictured above.

Let's start with the CGI... horrible. Not sure what else to say other than it being unforgivable in this day and age, and particularly with the type of budget that R.S. was working with. Bad CGI is hardcore dropping the ball. Actually, it's more like signaling, I just DGAF. And this is simply a cash grab. Fuck the audience... yes, the actual people that funded the film... damn them.

A Legacy Disrespected

This isn't nitpicking... it's fundamental. When the visuals are this bad, when the story leans this hard on spectacle without delivering something cohesive or earned, it’s insulting. There was potential here—real potential—but it got steamrolled by laziness, overconfidence, or worse... indifference. I’m not saying it had to be a masterpiece, but it didn’t even try to respect its own legacy. That’s the real tragedy.