Men think ‘Gladiator II’ isn’t masculine enough? Grow up

There are things I just cannot understand. Let’s chalk it up to my delicate female brain. Because in what world is Gladiator II turning its back on men? One YouTuber thinks that the movie is masculinity and I think this is a classic case of a man just saying words.

Jonny Law who has videos titled “I Watched Wicked So You Don’t Have To” and “Why Everyone Hated Agatha All Along” (they didn’t), posted a video about the new Ridley Scott film. It is titled “Gladiator 2 Turned It’s Back On Masculinity.”

According to dear old Jonny Law, his issue with the new film is that it is falling into modern sensibilities. Meaning that modern movies don’t allow films to have testosterone. He says a made up statement about the issues with the first Gladiator to modern audiences. None of us think this, by the way. “The problem with the original Gladiator is that it’s far too masculine and it’s far too pleased to be so.” Bro what are you actually talking about?

He goes on to be mad that the female gladiator from the first film is included in Gladiator II for a second which I think is hilarious given the fact that the entire movie is about men trying to get their own revenge on each other. But hey, I guess that’s not masculine enough? He goes on and on for over a minute about this when she is barely in the movie. So…that’s what we’re dealing with.

From claims of “no stakes” in a movie where…people are fighting for their lives to ranting about motives, I do not understand any point Jonny Law is trying to make. Not because I lack the film intelligence that he does but because his points literally make no sense.

I don’t think men know what masculinity really is

As women, I think we tend to view masculinity very differently than men do. To me, a masculine man uses his brawn and muscles to help those who need it and they don’t over assert themselves as a “man.” They recognize who in a situation has the power, who is right, and are chivalrous. If anything, most modern men forgot the concept of chivalry and that’s why “masculinity” is dying.

The men who will walk on the side of the street closest to cars without asking? The men who help pick things up for women without being told to do it? Those are modern examples of masculinity and good male figures to me. It is why I love when we see it represented in films because it proves to me that masculinity is still around in a healthy and productive sense.

What Jonny Law did was see Ridley Scott’s work through a toxic lens. Sorry, but that’s not what Gladiator was about and it certainly isn’t what Gladiator II is. I bet you are the kind of guy who thinks there is no homoerotic energy in the Top Gun franchise, aren’t you?

At the end of the day, men like this are always going to exist. They think they sound educated and intelligent when talking about “male things” and really they just…are sprouting nonsense.