Gladiator II

Starring: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger

Director: Ridley Scott

Sixteen years after the death of Marcus Aurelius, Rome finds itself under the brutal rule of the twin Emperors Geta (Quinn) and Caracalla (Hechinger). Aurelius's grandson Lucius (Mescal) hides away in Numidia under the alias "Hanno," After his wife is killed in an attack led by General Acacius (Pascal), Lucius is captured and finds himself back in Rome hoping to get his revenge. Under the training of Macrinus (Washington), Lucius finds that there is more going on in Rome than he expected, as Acacius is actually leading a plot to overthrow the Emperors alongside his wife and Lucius's mother Lucilla (Nielsen). As Lucius survives trial after trial in the gladiatorial ring, he finds his path to revenge must take a backseat to the political war for Rome's future.

Back in 2000, Director Ridley Scott delivered the Oscar-winning smash hit Gladiator, with the film winning Best Picture and Russell Crowe taking home the Best Actor statue. Many attempts were made to deliver a sequel, including a bonkers script by Nick Cave with the premise that needs to be seen to be believed (look it up and tell me you wouldn't have paid money to see that movie!). Now 24 years later, Ridley Scott returns to the director's chair for this sequel to one of if not his most successful films.

And now I find my thoughts torn on this movie. It is a perfectly acceptable sequel, with Scott delivering a slew of fun and intense action set pieces. The most notable being one that has drawn some flak from historians where the Colosseum is flooded and filled with sharks while a battle between two ships takes place. Is it accurate? Probably not but that's not really on me to say. Is it entertaining? Hell yes it is! And that's what people have come to see. It is slightly unfortunate that the visual effects have declined since the first one, especially in regards to the CGI animals. It's a minor issue but still one I feel compelled to mention. This is probably my favorite Ridley Scott film to come out in a while (and his first I've liked since 2021's The Last Duel).

Where I find myself torn is in the movie doesn't really need to exist. Gladiator ended on such an emotional (and definitive) arc that I don't think this movie came close to capturing. I still tear up at Juba's speech at the end. There is nothing as emotionally satisfying as that in this film. Not even close. I would even go as far as to say I felt nothing emotional whatsoever from the movie. On top of that, this sequel falls into the trap most do where it tries to follow the plot of the original too closely albeit with more political grappling. Outside of the politics and the final 15 minutes or so, I felt like I was watching a remake of the first one.

Indie darling Paul Mescal steps into the lead in the biggest film he's done to date. He does fine but doesn't draw me into Lucius's journey as much as Crowe's performance did in the first one. Other actors such as Pedro Pascal and even Connie Nielsen aren't given much to work with and are underserved by the writing. Pascal gets what is probably the best moment in the film but it only works because of his delivery and skill. As the Emperors, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are set to one speed, over-the-top scene-chewing villainy. It’s clear they are trying to one up Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus but they mostly fail as one of the film’s main antagonists. Phoenix’s Commodus at least was given a chance to be a two-dimensional character instead of a caricature of one. I also am upset they didn't capitalize on having Hounsuo's Juba return to help train or mentor Lucius and helped add some emotional depth that the film is lacking.

A lot has been made of Denzel Washington's involvement and he is receiving early Oscar buzz for the role, It's Denzel. He is a reliable actor who never really turns in a bad performance, However, his character is all over the place and is probably only getting as much recognition as it is because Denzel is playing against type. It worked for him in Training Day. It is less effective here.

In the end, Scott has once again proven himself to be a master of action set piece spectacle. However, this is a perfectly acceptable sequel that feels complacent following the similar structure laid forth by its predecessor.

Grade: B-