Ridley Scott was eager for his movie "Gladiator II" to be as faithful as possible to real history, but he's blunt on whether all details matter.

As Gladiator II enters the theatrical arena against Wicked, it’s relying on a marketing tactic the 2000 film didn’t: thirst. The Russell Crowe-led original won five Oscars, including Best Picture. It’s not that the sequel isn’t good — it’s been getting decent reviews — but 25 years have passed and the way movies are promoted has changed.

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” is full of a memorable action scenes, from a bloody showdown featuring CGI baboons to Paul Mescal outsmarting a charging rhino in the Roman Colosseum. But one sequence that is sure to leave audiences with the most questions is a rather insane set piece in which the Colosseum is filled with