Movie reviewer Joshua Hill says 'Gladiator II' doesn't pick up the plot left by the original, 'Gladiator.' Ridley Scott directed both.

Gladiator II cinematographer and longtime Ridley Scott collaborator John Mathieson had some strong words for the legendary director, saying that he’s changed for the worse in how he makes movies. What did the Gladiator II cinematographer say?

The cinematographer for Gladiator 2 branded its director Ridley Scott "impatient" in a recent interview. John Mathieson, who worked with the renowned British director on both 2000's Gladiator and its 2024 sequel, criticized Scott's increasing reliance on CGI.

Gladiator 2's mixed reception proves that the best Ridley Scott sequels aren't directed by Ridley Scott. Scott's own sequels are a mixed bag.

Upon listening to his episode on the podcast in question, John Mathieson noticed the severe truncation of the talk he’d given to Nigel Levy. Gladiator II’s DP even noted that he could tell that it felt like quotes were rearranged and deleted that would have filled out the sentiment he’d expressed above.

Gladiator II cinematographer Jon Mathieson is providing context and explanation after seemingly anti-Ridley Scott comments surfaced.

During an interview on The DocFix Documentary Storytelling Podcast, John Mathieson criticised Ridley Scott's filming process on Gladiator 2.