Ridley Scott’s $458 million historical blockbuster annoys historians with sloppy inaccuracies. The Alien director is known for his wide range as a filmmaker, having made both historical films and science fiction movies that depict a futuristic reality or are set on different planets. His sci-fi epic Blade Runner, sci-fi horror Alien, and the comedic sci-fi thriller, The Martian, are among Scott’s highest rated films.

Scott’s historical films, on the other hand, tend to receive mixed reviews among critics. From the “rotten” Napoleon, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the тιтular Emperor, to the critically acclaimed Gladiator, historians and critics have been pointing out the jarring inaccuracies in Scott’s films despite their success at the box office. Even his most recent offering can’t be spared from criticism.

Historian Points Out The Inaccuracies In Gladiator II’s Opening Scene

The Naval Battle Has Some “Weird” Ship Designs

Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal in the тιтular role of Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus from Scott’s 2000 Oscar winner. The original movie was the second highest-grossing movie of the year with more than $451 million at the box office worldwide. The sequel has recently outgrossed the original at the end of its eight-week theatrical run, despite strong compeтιтion from Wicked, which debuted on the same day.

In a new video from Insider, historian Roel Konijnendijk reviews the accuracy of Gladiator II‘s opening naval battle scene and gives Scott’s historical epic a 5 out of 10 rating. Konijnendijk praises the film for having overall accurate Roman ship designs for the time period but points out the obvious “weird feature” of having “sails” when ancient ships moved on “rowing power.” The historian also spots a few pieces in the battle scene that don’t belong in the time period, but the most glaring error among them all is the “fireballs,” which would “set your own ship on fire.” Check out what he said below:

They are actually based on ancient Roman ship designs, very clear. I mean they’re a little bit short and stubby, so they may have to be like liburnian, which would make sense for the Imperial period…It’s really cool idea that they really did their homework on what these ships are supposed to look like. It’s just a really weird feature that they have their masts and sails still on the decks are cleared for battle. They do not have their masts on them, and every in a naval battle in the ancient world moves on rowing power. There are not sailing warships. This is just like extra weight that destabilizes and slows down the ship.

Historically, it doesn’t make sense Numidia had been subjected centuries earlier, but it’s very interesting to see a city built on the sea, like the defenses go right up to the water and you actually see in this scene…And then, the catapults start throwing fireballs, and I’m like, “Ridley, we talked about this.” Catapults are always throwing fireballs in these movies. They historically didn’t. They would never do that. Why would you do that. You’re going to set your own ships on fire.

What This Means For Gladiator II

Ridley Scott Gets Creative In Gladiator II

The historian’s comments offers a glimpse of where fiction and drama weave into the storytelling. It’s likely that Paul Mescal’s Lucius wouldn’t take off his helmet in a battle just to show his face, but it’s important in the film. Similarly, while there’s no evidence of a gladiator ever riding a rhino into the ring during that time, no one could say it really didn’t happen. The fact that the historian notes the in-depth research that went into the film suggests that most of the inaccuracies in the film might be intentional.

This also isn’t the first time historians have slammed Ridley Scott for being too liberal in his approach to historical films. His Napoleon Bonaparte biopic has received criticism from historians, and Scott defended his film by telling them to “get a life,” stressing that “there’s a lot of imagination” in history books. Lucius’ fight scene in the gladiator ring in Gladiator II sees him using his father’s trick by throwing sand to confuse the rhino. He is then thrown by the rhino, and while it’s unlikely Lucius would survive this in real life, there are documented cases where a person survives an almost certainly fatal incident.

Source: Insider/YouTube