The action-packed trailer for Paramount’s Gladiator II has racked up 215 million international cross-platform views in just some days and suggests Ridley Scott may need pulled off his long-awaited sequel to his Oscar-winning 2000 epic. The brand new movie is led by Paul Mescal as a grown-up Lucius and likewise stars Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington in what appears to be like to be a rousing spectacle.
However there’s a cohort of followers who declare they don’t seem to be entertained. Whereas Paramount’s official trailer on YouTube (watch it beneath) ranks as one of many studio’s most-watched in a 24-hour-period ever, and loads of followers have been wildly enthusiastic, it additionally has 133,000 likes vs. 279,000 dislikes and counting. That’s very uncommon for a serious tentpole launch.
Wading into the feedback on the video and on X (not really useful), there appear to be three causes for the backlash — and two are particular to the way in which the trailer was put collectively and seemingly not reflective of general emotions concerning the movie.
First, the trailer, clocking in at over three minutes, is being criticized for seemingly giving freely an excessive amount of. Audiences are likely to dislike this — understandably. (Paramount’s official trailer for final yr’s Mission: Unattainable — Useless Reckoning Half 1 equally gave away each main set piece.)
The second motive — and that is by far essentially the most cited — is the trailer makes use of Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “No Church within the Wild.” Some are asking, “Why have rap music in a film concerning the Roman Empire?” Admittedly, a part of the unique Gladiator’s attraction was that it was unabashedly classical — a throwback to sandal-and-toga epics like Ben Hur and Spartacus. It additionally had a beloved soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, whose anthem “The Battle” is without doubt one of the greatest motion anthems ever written.
After all, it’s onerous to think about such up to date music getting used throughout the movie’s Historic Rome sequences, that is only a trailer, so maybe critics ought to relax. Additionally, “No Church within the Wild” contains the lyric “blood stains the Coliseum doorways,” so there’s that. However the music protest begins to look a relatively canine whistle-y once you get to this subsequent bit.
The third motive for the backlash: Some are griping about Washington’s function within the movie. The Oscar winner performs Macrinus, who’s described as a merciless energy dealer who retains a steady of gladiators. The actor appears to be like like he’s having an absolute blast. However some complain that Washington nonetheless has his New York accent. After all, Washington’s voice is so iconic, it is perhaps bizarre if he out of the blue adopted a British accent. Additionally: British accents don’t make any sense for Historic Rome both, they’ve simply historically been utilized in Hollywood movies concerning the interval and have a tendency to really feel proper (the British Empire having been equally imperialistic and all).
And right here’s the place it will get ugly (as you suspected it will). Among the feedback ridiculing the concept of Washington within the movie have been racist. And once you mix that with folks complaining a couple of rap music, it appears to be like like one other, sadly all too acquainted, poisonous fandom wave. (For these questioning, and never that it issues, however there have been Black folks in Historic Rome — together with in positions of energy; similar to famed Roman officer Lucius Quietus.)
Additionally, anyone upset about Washington wandering round Historic Rome goes to need to carry on being upset into subsequent yr. Washington can be starring in Coaching Day director Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming and as-yet-untitled Netflix characteristic concerning the Roman-era commander Hannibal, written by authentic Gladiator scribe John Logan.
Another factor concerning the Gladiator music: Zimmer opted to not return for the sequel and Harry Gregson-Williams scored the movie as a substitute. “It’s actually quite simple. I’ve completed that world. And I feel I did it nicely,” Zimmer beforehand defined to Curzon about not returning. “And all I’d do is ready myself up for both making an attempt to repeat myself, which I don’t need to do, or getting slaughtered by critics who say you didn’t do it in addition to you probably did the primary time. We’ve got a gladiator battle in Dune: Half Two, proper? We’ve got a gladiator battle in Gladiator clearly, however they couldn’t be extra completely different!” (This from the person who scored 4 Pirates of the Caribbean films, however OK.)
My private favourite top-voted Gladiator II trailer remark has nothing to do with any of this, however relatively paraphrases a Recreation of Thrones line to level out: “Each time Ridley Scott makes a film, God flips a coin.” After Napoleon, we’re actually due for a terrific one, and Gladiator II simply is perhaps it.
Right here’s the Gladiator II trailer:
Right here’s the unique: