Gladiator II
The mixed response toGladiator 2proves that the serious sequels toRidley Scottmovies are n’t directed by Ridley Scott himself . prizefighter 2has turn up to be a box office succeeder , and it ’s received mostly convinced review from critic , but it has n’t rival the universal acclamation of its predecessor . The debate rages on as to whether or notGladiatoreven needed a sequel . The first film explore the notion that today ’s action will have implications for tomorrow and resound in timelessness , but it was a utter standalone story ; it did n’t need another movie show those eternal echoes .
But Scott decided to make a sequel toGladiatoranyway . Heretconned Lucius to be Maximus ’ illegitimate sonand set him off on his own track to becoming a champion prizefighter while quiet plat his retaliation against Rome ’s corrupt ruler . Gladiator 2has proven to be more successful and satisfying than most legacy sequels , but it does n’t quite place alongside the all - sentence greats , likeThe Empire Strikes BackandThe Godfather Part II . This confirmsa sad realism about sequel to Scott ’s film : the very best ones are n’t helmed by Scott himself .
The Best Sequels To Ridley Scott Movies Weren’t Made By Ridley Scott
Aliens & Blade Runner 2049 Were Directed By Other Filmmakers
The best sequel to Scott ’s moving picture have been directed by other film maker . Aliens , the 1986 sequel to Scott ’s horror masterpieceAlien , was channelize by James Cameron , whileBlade Runner 2049 , the 2017 sequel to Scott ’s sci - fi noirBlade Runner , was directed by Denis Villeneuve . These are well the two greatest sequel to Scott ’s movies ( and two of the greatest subsequence ever made ) and they ’re two that Scott did n’t direct himself . Aliensswitched to the action writing style for a brand - new moviegoing experience , andBlade Runner 2049flipped the human / replicant dynamic on its straits for a new take on the story .
This success can partly be ascribe to the fact thatnew filmmakers fetch refreshing eye to a franchise . If Scott had take aim the continuation toAlienandBlade Runner , he would ’ve just hash over what he ’d done before . ButCameron and Villeneuve came in with their own visionfor those stories and their universe . Scott ’s work onGladiator 2further proves this . He still has a acuate heart for battle scenes , butGladiator 2is passably much a remakeof its predecessor . If a unlike filmmaker had taken it on , it might ’ve veered more in its own direction .
Ridley Scott-Directed Sequels (Or Prequels) Are Mixed
Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, & Gladiator 2 Have All Been Hit-And-Miss
So far , Scott has take aim three sequels to his picture ( although two of them are technically prequels ) . In 2012 , he returned to theAlienuniverse withPrometheus , which used a Biblical allegory to explore the origins of the xenomorphs . In 2017 , he turn back to theAlienfranchise again with a surveil - up toPrometheusentitledAlien : Covenant , which continued the xenomorph origin storyline while go back to the serial ’ horror ascendant with another frequent - house - in - space assumption . And now , in 2024 , Scott has made a sequel toGladiatorabout Lucius ’ own journeying from soldier to buckle down to champion .
None of these movies have been bad per se , but they ’ve certainly been polarizing — particularly compared to Scott ’s original movie , which have been rank among the swell movies ever made .
None of these movies have been bad per se , but they ’ve certainly been polarizing — specially compare to Scott ’s original films , which have been ranked among the great movies ever made . All three of Scott ’s prequels and sequel have their own issue . The biggest problem withPrometheusis thatit did n’t fit what audiences expect from anAlienmovie . It has moment of body horror , but it ’s mostly an existentialist sci - fi epic about how the human subspecies come to be . The grapheme make distractingly dazed conclusion , and it asks a peck more questions than it answers .
Prometheus has always been one of the Alien dealership ’s most underrated ingress , and I ’m glad it ’s last getting the appreciation it deserve .
Alien : Covenantwas a welcome return to the horror genre , but it pal up in comparability to Scott ’s originalAlienfilm from 1979 . There are shocking moments of gore in that movie — particularly the gruesome chestburster — but it did n’t bank too much on the gore . Scott built a palpable sense of Hitchcockian tension throughout the cinema and only used jump panic to pay off long sequences of dread . Alien : Covenantrelies on jumping scares and gratuitous gore without any of the establish - upto earn it . Still , it had a jaw - dropping twist ending that redeem some of its missteps .
On Rotten Tomatoes , Gladiator 2has a critics ' account of 71 % and an interview score of 83 % .
prizefighter 2isn’t quite as dissentious as theAlienprequels , but it has n’t receive the unanimous extolment that the first film did . The movie ’s 71 % critic ’ score on Rotten Tomatoes is “ fresh ” ( just about ) , but it also suggests that a large chunk of the critic community was unimpressed by the sequel . Audiences are divided on whether or not the historical inaccuracy are enough to ruin the movie , and whether or not baseless set - pieces involving monkeys and shark makeGladiator 2a nifty movie or just a very entertaining moving picture .
Gladiator 2 Is Ridley Scott’s Best Sequel That He’s Directed
Gladiator 2 Is Definitely More Crowd-Pleasing Than The Alien Prequels
Gladiator 2might not quite live up to the first one , but it ’s still the better continuation Scott has made to one of his plastic film . It ’s sure as shooting the more crowd - pleasing of the three , andthe scale of it is exceedingly telling , even if it ’s not quite as ambitious as the original in terms of its story and themes . Paul Mescal might not have Russell Crowe ’s chops as an action submarine , but he does divvy up his lordliness and striking ability , and render an equally compelling performance as theGladiatorsequel ’s new hero .
The termination of Gladiator 2 leave the door open for Gladiator 3 , and Ridley Scott has already discuss some of his idea for the potential threequel .
Pedro Pascal ’s Acaciusgives the sequel a much more sympathetic villain than the first film ’s Commodus , and Denzel Washington ’s Macrinus lend a lot more amusing relief than the original had . Scenes involving bare - knuckle do with monkeys , a bullfight with an armored rhinoceros , and a stag naval conflict with miniature ships and hungry sharksmakeGladiator 2a must - see smash hit spectacle to behold on the biggest screen potential . It might not be the masterpiece thatGladiatorwas , butGladiator 2is still a wildly entertaining drive .
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
Ridley Scott’s Sequels Still Deserve A Lot Of Praise
Scott Hasn’t Made A Truly Bad Sequel
Just because Scott ’s sequel have never lived up to the master copy , it does n’t mean they ’re not worthy of extolment . prizefighter 2is impressive blockbuster filmmaking , even if it ’s unlikely to have the staying power of the original . Scott’sAlienprequelsare among the good installments in that dealership ; they have slew of interesting ideas and they ’re better than most of the non - Scott sequel , with the exception ofAliens(and , arguably , Alien : Romulus ) . Scott might not have made the greatest sequel of all clock time , but his sequels are far from the worst .
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prizefighter 2 is the follow - up to Ridley Scott ’s award - winning pic Gladiator from 2000 . Scott regress to direct the continuation , with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius , alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta . prizefighter 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a book write by David Scarpa finally proceed forward .
