Robert the Bruce was launched in 2020, an unofficial Braveheart 2 that continues the story in an sudden approach. Whereas Braveheart ended with the dying of William Wallace, the sequel picks up with one other actor from the unique film in the primary function. Angus Macfadyen reprises his function as Robert from the critically acclaimed 1995 epic, within the earlier moments of Robert’s life earlier than the ultimate battle of Bannockburn. The place Braveheart follows the lifetime of Gibson’s William Wallace, Robert the Bruce follows the lifetime of Macfadyen’s downtrodden Robert earlier than his rise as king.
Just like Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, which the star additionally directed, Robert the Bruce was written for the display by Macfadyen alongside author Eric Belgau. Though not a direct sequel to Braveheart, Robert the Bruce operates as a sequel in its personal proper because it particulars Scotland’s ongoing struggle with England as they struggle for his or her independence. Each movies share this in widespread as their plots heart on this struggle. It’s a redemption story that goals to sympathize with Macfadyen’s Robert and his poor selections made in Braveheart, the place he betrayed William Wallace and fought alongside the English.
How Robert The Bruce Works As A Braveheart Sequel
The Sequel Follows Robert The Bruce Following William Wallace’s Dying
Reflecting on the ultimate act of Braveheart, William Wallace is captured in 1305, delivered to his place of execution, hanged, disemboweled, after which lastly decapitated. William Wallace’s horrific dying was used for example and a method to interrupt Scotland’s spirit. As a substitute, his dying helped encourage the revolt that Robert led on the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, lastly profitable the struggle with England. What this free sequel makes an attempt to seize is the time frame between Wallace’s dying and the battle of Bannockburn, considerably, with Macfadyen 25 years older, although the precise timeline is a bit fudged.
Robert the Bruce depicts solely an encapsulated piece of King Robert’s life, starting in 1306, a couple of years after William Wallace’s dying. It begins with a crownless Robert discouraged and able to lay down arms amongst fellow troopers. Wounded by troopers whose loyalties are simply swayed by gold supplied as bounties, he’s taken in by a widowed peasant farmer, Morag. Whereas hiding from his pursuers, he’s nursed again to well being.
Finally, Robert learns that Morag’s husband fought for him within the struggle and died after being introduced house with an amputated leg. Regardless of this, he remained loyal to Robert’s trigger by way of his closing days and so has his household. Their loyalty conjures up Robert to take up arms once more and ultimately turn out to be king.
Robert The Bruce Failed To Reside Up To Braveheart
The Small-Scale Observe-Up Fell Brief Of The Unique Epic
Whereas Braveheart tells its story in epic proportion, Robert the Bruce exists merely as a chapter. The movie expands this a part of Robert’s life right into a feature-length movie however solely quantities to feeling like an epilogue to one thing greater. Many missed alternatives in storytelling come to thoughts with the try at a non secular Braveheart sequel.
Many of the movie consists of Robert’s inside turmoil, his restoration, and the way the lives of the widespread persons are affected by struggle, which nearly sounds good on paper. Nonetheless, upwards of fifty minutes are spent on Robert nonetheless wounded in a cave with a spider simply earlier than assembly Morag. Moreover, the movie closely focuses its greater key moments with Morag’s 11-year-old son, Scot, who can’t carry the load of an underwhelming story. Usually, Robert is only a passenger in his personal story, fading into the background.
Robert the Bruce makes an attempt to seize the center of Braveheart however falls flat. The central antagonist in Braveheart is a king, in contrast to the native sheriff, Brandubh, Morag’s brother-in-law, who solely picks fights that he is aware of he can win. No epic battles, none of Braveheart’s blue-painted faces, and as an alternative what’s delivered is only a handful of mercenaries terrorizing three kids, a peasant widow, a wounded king, and the blacksmith’s daughter.
By the top, all that these mercenaries might handle was killing the blacksmith’s daughter, one of many few courageous ladies within the movie with far too little display time for her dying to imply something. As a Braveheart 2, compared to Braveheart, it’s a a lot quieter reflection on struggle, struggling, and petty tyrants.
Different Films You Did not Know Had Sequels
Disney Has Launched A number of Lesser-Recognized Sequels
Little-Recognized Sequels:
|
Unique Film |
Sequel |
|---|---|
|
American Psycho (2000) |
American Psycho 2 (2002) |
|
Jarhead (2005) |
Jarhead 2: Area of Fireplace (2014), Jarhead 3: The Siege (2016) |
|
Aladdin (1992) |
The Return of Jafar (1994), Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) |
|
The Lion King (1994) |
The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pleasure (1998) |
|
The Little Mermaid (1989) |
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) |
Whereas it would appear to be a sequel to Braveheart would get much more consideration, there are a selection of sequels which have flown below the radar resulting in followers both forgetting they exist or by no means even figuring out that they occurred within the first place. As with Braveheart 2, a few of these sequels are a lot smaller films with tenuous ties to the unique and are sometimes launched as direct-to-video sequels.
One memorable instance of that is American Psycho 2, starring Mila Kunis as the brand new protagonist killer. Reportedly, this was initially a film that had nothing to do with American Psycho however the connection was made as a last-minute resolution. To make it all of the extra controversial, Patrick Bateman does seem within the film, albeit not absolutely proven (Christian Bale didn’t reprise his function), and is swiftly killed off. The critically derided sequel additionally determined to reply whether or not the ending of American Psycho actually occurred, which was higher left open-ended.
Within the Nineties and 2000s, Disney additionally began a pattern of making direct-to-video sequels to a few of their hottest titles. Aladdin obtained The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, The Lion King obtained The Lion King II: Simba’s Pleasure, and The Little Mermaid obtained The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Whereas a few of these sequels have been higher acquired than others, none of them acquired the extent of acclaim that their unique films did.
There are additionally these sequels that appear to have nothing to do with the unique and are merely seeking to capitalize on a recognizable title. Sam Mendes’ Jarhead was a critical struggle film starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier affected by a psychological well being breakdown throughout the Gulf Warfare. Even supposing the film depicted how troopers like Gyllenhaal’s character by no means fired their weapons throughout the struggle, there have been three direct-to-video Jarhead sequels which are full-blown motion films.
Robert the Bruce
- Director
- Richard Grey
- Launch Date
- June 28, 2019
- Solid
- Angus Macfadyen , Gabriel Bateman , Talitha Bateman , Mhairi Calvey , Gianni Capaldi , Will Carlson
- Runtime
- 123 minutes
Mel Gibson directs, produces, and stars in Braveheart as William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who leads a revolt towards the English monarchy within the thirteenth century. As his military grows, Wallace turns into an emblem of hope and freedom for his individuals.
- Launch Date
- Could 24, 1995
- Solid
- Mel Gibson , Sophie Marceau , Patrick McGoohan , Angus Macfadyen , james robinson , Sean Lawlor , Sandy Nelson , James Cosmo
- Runtime
- 178 Minutes
