As one of the most prolific and respected directors of our time, Christopher Nolan’s opinion means a lot to film buffs. In a new Variety list counting down famous film creators and their favourite movies of 2024, Christopher Nolan revealed that Gladiator 2 was his favourite film of 2024.
“In Ridley Scott’s first Gladiator, Maximus asks us, ‘Are you not entertained?’ and we’re confronted with the truth of why we’d visit the Colosseum through a movie,” Nolan writes. “He lets the world of Gladiator 2 speak for itself, once again showing us who we are simply by inviting us to enjoy the crazy inflationary ride. Why are there sharks in the coliseum? Because we demand them, and Scott masterfully gives them to us. As he reveals how the games are used to manipulate public opinion, we can’t help but see shadows of our own public arena projected onto the sand.”
“Scott raises the game with the staging of his action — his incredible, hyper-observant, multi-camera mise-en-scène (so different to the original) masterfully wrestles the action into clear and jaw-dropping sequence after sequence. The effect is not just to entertain, but to drive us towards awareness of the movie’s themes. Few filmmakers have ever worked so invisibly on multiple levels.”
It’s clear that Nolan is quite the fan, then. While some critics agree with Nolan’s sentiment, others have been harsher on Scott’s anticipated sequel. Perhaps film buffs will be kinder to it now Nolan has made this statement.
Elsewhere in the list, we see Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez picked Inside Out 2 as his favourite movie of the year. Quite a surprise, considering his horror leanings.