A storied and timeless subgenre of cinema also referred to as peplum, sword-and-sandals films typically encompass historical or mythological epics. From classic genre offerings from the Golden Age of Hollywood like Spartacus and Ben-Hur to modern contemporaries in the vein of Gladiator and Troy, this doesn't appear to be a brand of film that's going anywhere anytime soon. It's a status quo underlined by the recent success of 2024's Gladiator II, Ridley Scott's mega-hit sequel that will hopefully serve as the catalyst for similar future offerings from the genre.

While the subgenre is typically dominated by films set in Ancient Rome or movies about Greek mythology, this decidedly isn't a prerequisite for consideration. As cinema has modernized, notable sword-and-sandals offerings have expanded to encompass most ancient settings, with some films even channeling elements of other genres like fantasy to great success. An indispensable branch of cinematic popular culture at this stage in the game,...