Director Ridley Scott has made a sequel to "Gladiator," no small task given that the primary hero and villain both perished at the end of the original.
Witness the trailer for "Gladiator II" below. I can't make head nor tail of it.
There's a rap song, as was popular during the Roman Empire. "Blood stains on the Colosseum floor." But the floor was sand. You can't stain sand. (Except when the floor was flooded. You can't stain water, either.)
Denzel Washington appears to be the successor to the Oliver Reed character, Proximo. Except I can't tell if he's babyface or heel. His demeanor suggests Frank Lucas from "American Gangster."
Lucius, the little kid in "Gladiator," should be emperor by now. He was in the bloodline. (Acknowledge him.)
But improbably, Lucius is a gladiator. He looks and sounds a lot like Russell Crowe. His mom is the same actress. Obviously not a good mother if the kid somehow went from potential emperor to being charged by a rhinoceros.
Rome still seems to be in political turmoil, rife with class struggle and enthralled by mindless violence. I thought Maximus fixed all that.
Too many characters in the trailer appear cartoonish.
Scott's involvement gives hope. He directed the original. It's the same vision.
"Gladiator II" hits theaters Nov. 22. It will likely be terrible, like most sequels besides "The Godfather Part II."
But I will nonetheless be first in line to see it. Strength and honor.