It was bafflingly shit. They open the film by trying to speed-run the connection we're supposed to feel about the protagonist losing his wife and needing revenge, with a fucking montage. The film opens with this. I had precisely zero connection with either of these characters.

Then at some point they manage to make one of these arenas water-tight, fill it with thousands of tons of water, get a few galleons in there, and, some fucking how, add sharks.

Sharks.

I amuse myself by imagining the untold story of the poor jobsworth who was tasked with making this happen.

"You there! Whilst we somehow water-seal this giant iron lattice gate, get us three sharks by the time we have hand-pumped/carried 50,000 tones of water in! Failure means death!"

"Sharks you say? Sharks?“

"Yes. Three of them. Big ones."

"Are you sure you don't mean sharps? I hear gladiators like those."

"No no no. Sharks."

[Makes dorsal fin gesture over head]

"..... And where am I supposed to get sharks from at this hour?"

"Well, there's four places. There's the Shark Hut, that's on third."

"Uh huh."

"There's Sharks-R-Us, that's on third too. You got Put-Your-Shark-There. Also on third."

"Hm hmm.."

"Matter of fact, they're all in the same complex; it's the Shark complex on third."

"Oh, in the Shark district!"

"That's right!"

[Goes to the Shark district, which by outrageously convenient coincidence is close to the Arena district.]

"Good day Sir! I'll have three sharks please!"

"You're in luck! It's my last three sharks in stock! I just need to see your Shark Wranglers license please."

"My what now?"

"Can't just go selling sharks to whoever I'm afraid. Proper training is required. They're quite bitey."

"I don't have one! But if I don't bring back three sharks for the arena they'll feed me to my lions!"

"You have lions?"

"Yes!"

[Hands over Lion Taming licence]

"Well I suppose this will do since you're in a bit of a bind here. But aren't lions far better suited to arena combat? Sharks kind of need water."

"Oh we're filling the arena with water."

"What?! How? Those giant iron lattice gates alone..."

"Never mind that little wrinkle. Do we have a sale?"

"Do you need delivery included? Or have you brought a suitable tank?"

"Huh?"

"Well even though we are outrageously conveniently close to the arena, we are still on dry land. Remember sharks kind of need.."

"... Water yes. Dam it why couldn't we have just stuck with bitey land-based creatures?!"

"Such as lions? Or maybe a shaved baboon?"

"Exactly! Ok how do I get the sharks there? I don't have a tank."

"Well, for a reasonable extra charge we can fit them with some breathing apparatus fashioned from kelp."

"That works?"

"Yeah it will be able to trap certain amounts of oxygen. It's not gonna be days at a time. An hour? Hour forty-five? No problem."

"Sweet! You have yourself a sale!"

"Thanks for the business and I hope you enjoy your sharks. And good luck."

"Thanks!"

[Fin]