Gladiators vs Praetorians
Aren't Praetorians the elite of the elite that guard the emperor? How are they able to lose against gladiators?
shareWho do you expect to win a fight? The Secret Service vs. UFC fighters?
I bet UFC fighters, and I think most people will bet the same.
Praetorians were not exactly bodyguards, they were more of personal army of the emperors, they were usually selected from the best of soldiers of the legions and paid several times higher than regular soldiers, and they had seen battles and did quite well.
I think one on one a gladiator would more likely beat a praetorian, since gladiators were high value possession and capital investment, they were well trained and well fed.
But if fighting in group formations, I think praetorians will be able to beat the same number of gladiators, since gladiators were not trained to fight in groups.
OK, I rephrase it: Navy Seals vs. UFC fighters? I still bet UFC fighters.
shareLike I said one on one an UFC fighter will more likely beat a navy seal, but if fighting in groups, the soldiers will likely win.
shareI didn't watch the movie, and I'm still waiting for it to hit streaming, but I doubt fighting in groups or not will make a difference. I can't imagine a Seal who lost to a UFC fighter in a fight can win if the fight is 1000 Seals vs. 1000 UFC fighters.
shareFrom the reviews so far it is not a very good movie, I am not sure I will even watch it when available on streaming.
Then again, hardly anything is worth watching these days.
It was good. Not as good as 1 but of course not. Go in with tempered expectations. I think they wrapped a nice bow on the intentions of the first film. Most definitely doesn’t need a 3rd and doubt there will be 1.
shareThe reviews basically say the basic plot is very close to the first movie, might as well see the first one instead.
The CGI is kind of lame, also filling Colosseum with water and sharks is kind of ridiculous. If I had any doubts about the movie's relation to the actual history, I don't anymore.
The plot is very silly, the bad guys are just evil for no reason.
This is basically not that different from a Vegas show, flashy but with little substance.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-rome-once-filled-the-colosseum-up-with-water-and-staged-epic-mock-sea-battle
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/colosseum_01.shtml
I can't believe they really did that, that is bonkers.
shareIt was decent, good is Gladiator. Everything felt a bit rushed to some degree since the runtime is shorter than the first movie. The audio sounded horrible on the sword clashing for some reason in IMAX.
shareBack to the topic of fighting.
Soldiers fight as a team, they have a command structure, everyone follows orders.
UFC fighters don't have anything like that, everyone fights for their survival. Everyone will try to give orders, none will follow. They also have no camaraderie, none will have the other's back.
Think of 2 armies fighting, one just soldiers, each fighting on their own, the other has leadership, fighting units and squad leaders.
Which one do you think will win?
I didn't watch the movie, but from the post, it sounds like two sides were fighting with swords and with numbers less than a thousand, like a brawl. I can't imagine how command structure can make a difference, even if the orders can be received in the fight.
shareThey were praetorians, they were soldiers, they always have someone like commanders and squad leaders present, there is always someone in charge, they are useful in small battles.
shareTo an extent. Wasn't that what happened in the first Gladiator's opening fight? In the beginning, the orders can be given and received, and then when two sides collide, it becomes chaos without any command structure.
shareIn the movies it is always different.
Real soldiers don't fight like that, they usually form a formation and fight as an unit.
Elite soldiers like storm-troopers, both WW2 Germany and the galactic empire of star wars, were usually shown as clumsy and incompetent in movies. Anyone with a gun can kill a dozen.
But that was neither real history nor logical, and I think for majority of people those scenes are cringe to watch.
Good assessment. People forget that most of these gladiators are captured soldiers from defeated battles against Rome. Although it's true that to fight in the Colosseum you had to be some of the best bunch of Gladiators, many still died during the games and didn't fight as a team when Lucius tried Maximusing them together. Lucius even mentioned that he was no General so his experience or somewhat lack thereof comes into play, saved only by his father's genes.
Praetorians are trained in Roman tactics while when the rush happened, Lucius was not leading them and directing them. They were just bumrushing the Praetorian formation where they acted dumbfounded when they were being charged.