When civilization is on the brink of collapse, proffer bread and circus. The entire spectacle of Roman gladiatorial battles was perhaps history’s most extravagant example of distracting the hoi polloi with empty spectacle as the structural integrity of their civilization collapsed around them. At least until the end-stage capitalistic United States came along. So long as bellies are full and minds are lulled by materially empty entertainment, the masses remain appeased. Nearly two millennia later, we very much live in an age of bread and circus (thanks a lot Captain America), and that’s exactly what Ridley Scott offers with his long-awaited sequel, Gladiator II – a film that, despite its supreme spectacle, feels calorically empty and narratively unsatisfying. Read More