Actor Russell Crowe, best known for his leading role in Gladiator, has publicly criticized the recent sequel, arguing that it failed to reproduce the qualities that made the original film resonate with audiences. In a recent interview he set out why, in his view, the follow-up did not achieve the same impact as the 2000 picture.
Crowe said he believed the new sequel, which he suggested did not even need naming, was a poor example of how not to follow up a beloved film. He argued that those involved with the sequel did not grasp what made the first movie special: it was not the pomp, scale or action, but the moral backbone of the central character.
He added that preserving the character's moral center had been a daily struggle on the original set. Crowe recalled repeated attempts to alter Maximus by introducing sexual scenes and similar elements, moves he felt would have stripped the character of his strength. 'What are you talking about? Are you seriously suggesting that a man who loves his wife would sleep with someone else? That makes no sense,' he said, calling such changes 'madness.'
The original Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott and released in 2000, earned more than $460 million worldwide on a $150 million budget and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor. It remains highly rated by viewers, with scores around 8.6 out of 10 on Kinopoisk and 8.5 out of 10 on IMDb.
The sequel, released in 2024 and again directed by Ridley Scott, had a production budget of approximately $250 million and grossed about $462 million worldwide. Unlike the first film, the follow-up did not receive major awards and was met with a cooler audience response, registering roughly 6.2 out of 10 on Kinopoisk and 6.5 out of 10 on IMDb.