A Satisfying Sequel
Summary
Gladiator II will never live up to the original film, but if you can take this on its own it’s hugely entertaining with epic action sequences, graphic violence and an amazing score with the original classic themes. Denzel and Pedro nearly steal the movie and elevate it despite some pacing issues and noticeable CG. I saw it in IMAX which is the only way to view a historical epic and it even got a round of applause at the end which was a nice surprise.
Plot: Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Review: Gladiator is one of my favourite films of all time and it had a perfect ending, so I (like many) was baffled when a sequel was announced; not everything needs to be a franchise.
I had no real interest in Gladiator II until the cast was announced which included Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal and the return of Connie Nielsen as Lucilla. Sir Ridley Scott was back in the driving seat, so I was at least curious.
The first trailer was awful and it looked like Mescal was going to essentially be Maximus from Temu spouting similar lines, but without the same gravitas as Russell Crowe. The second trailer was a lot better and although Mescal is hardly amazing in the role I liked that he was a man filled with rage and he wasn’t just a carbon copy of Maximus.
Needless to say going in my expectations were tempered, but it didn’t take long after the lights went down that I was back in Ancient Rome and hearing those iconic themes created by Hans Zimmer (but this time score by Harry Gregson-Williams) that it hooked me. This was never going to be as good as the original movie, but my opinion was if it at least doesn’t ruin it with stupid decisions then I would accept it as an entertaining sequel and that’s exactly what this is.
It opens with an incredible battle scene and we are introduced to Paul Mescal’s character Lucius who is happily married and living far away from Rome. It doesn’t take long before it comes to his doorstep and he ends up following a similar path to Maximus. There is a scene early on which isn’t even an action set-piece, but it involves a Ferryman and is the most haunting visual of the entire film. That was Ridley Scott at his best as he has always been a visual director; even if he doesn’t always get the pacing right, his films always look gorgeous and this is no different.
In terms of flaws I could nit-pick quite a lot like the pacing does lag in the middle, there is an overuse of unconvincing CG animals, the script doesn’t have too many quotable lines and the first half does at times feel like it’s going in the same direction as the first film. Thankfully, the second half is when it gets really interesting and hyper violent with Denzel giving the best performance of his career. You are never quite sure where he is going as a character and I won’t say anything else, but he really steals the movie. Pedro Pascal was also quite different from what I expected and really adds some soul to the film.
Many have said it doesn’t have the same heart as the first movie and I suppose that’s true at times, but it certainly has its moments. Lucilla has had such a tragic life that it’s hard not to feel great empathy for her; Connie Nielsen is fantastic as always and it’s her presence that makes this feel like a genuine sequel to Gladiator.
Where this movie really shines is the action which is why this gets (just) above 3.5 stars; there are regular fight scenes, the opening battle is jaw dropping and as I said it’s a hundred times more violent than the first film (which was hardly PG-13). Violence in a movie about the Roman Empire should be expected as those were the times they lived in; they were brutal and this film really captures that. The two Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) are crazier than a bag full of ferrets and make Commodus look like a choir boy in comparison. Both actors are fantastic and convincing in their respective roles trying to out-crazy each other.
Overall, Gladiator II was never going to hold a candle to the first movie and I understand why some would hate this as it is definitely inferior however, it’s far better than I expected with Sir Ridley Scott’s visuals as stunning as ever. The action is epic and brutal with limbs being hacked off like it’s a contest and Denzel at his absolute best. It has its flaws but the sheer ambition on display here makes this well worth seeing on as big a screen as possible.