Gladiator II Review
Ridley Scott’s long awaited sequel to Gladiator is a pale imitation of the first film.
Pedro Pascal in Gladiator II. (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
Gladiator II has director Ridley Scott returning us to ancient Rome, decades after the events of the first Gladiator, the now classic Russell Crowe vehicle released in 2000. The sequel, despite some grand scale, manages to feel smaller than the original, and limply retreads story beats familiar to those who have seen it.
In Gladiator II, Lucius (Paul Mescal) lives in exile from Rome, sent away as a young boy after the events of the first film by his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), because he would be in danger as the grandson of Marcus Aurelius and legitimate heir to the throne of the emperor. When General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) conquers his village, Lucius is captured, taken back to Rome, and sold as a gladiator to Macrinus (Denzel Washington). While Macrinus plots to oust deranged twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) to take power for himself, Lucius sets off on a mission of vengeance through the coliseum that will be familiar to anyone knowledgable of the plot points of the first film.
Gladiator II. (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
Gladiator II mirrors scenes and story beats from the first film, but with a lack of the same impact. For example, the first act of both films consist of battles of conquest that ultimately lead to the protagonist getting captured as a slave, under slightly difference circumstances. The sequel’s naval siege is a battle on a grander scale than the one in the first film to put down the revolt in Germania, but here bigger is not better. The original film’s first act focuses more on the characters and immediately leads to a compelling central conflict between protagonist and villain, while the first act of the new film drags, feeling long and meandering by comparison. The sequel doesn’t provide a clear focus on the villain until far later in the film and makes the conflict feel less significant.
Gladiator II. (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
The film has some standout action sequences in the arena, such as a gladiator that rides a rhinoceros and a naval battle with sharks in the water of the flooded coliseum. While these scenes are flashy spectacle, they follow the same patterns as the first act in that they don’t have the same effectiveness of the shorter, more brutal scenes in the original film that served the same purpose—the protagonist rallying the other gladiators as a leader. It’s another example of the sequel feeling like a gaudy, theme park rehash of the first film’s events.
Denzel Washington in Gladiator II. (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
The actors do the best they can with the dialogue they’re given in the film’s script. Paul Mescal isn’t as effective as the brooding Russell Crowe in communicating his character’s rage. Twin emperors Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger come off as caricatures of the first film’s Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Pedro Pascal’s part is interesting as an alternate mirror to Maximus (Russel Crowe), also a general, from the first film, but ultimately doesn’t get very much to do. Denzel Washington acquits himself here, but isn’t nearly as magnetic as I’ve seen him in the past and feels like his potential was wasted with what the script asks him to do.
Gladiator II isn’t a bad film. It’s just an average one that suffers from being in the shadow of its predecessor. After the sluggish first act, the movie picks up and is entertaining enough, but doesn’t feel like it’s made by the same director that brought us spectacular, criminally underseen medieval epic The Last Duel just three years ago.
Gladiator II opens exclusively in theaters on November 22, 2024.
