The historical action epic is a spectacular genre in any era. Every culture, society, and time period has its own take on the concept. It's never going to stop being fun to imagine the kinds of violence people got up to in the ancient world. Nor will it ever cease to amaze audiences when those imagined visions become multi-million-dollar blockbusters. These films have a mixed relationship with the concept of history. Gladiator and its upcoming sequel, Gladiator II, introduced a few real figures from Roman history.