Gladiator II

Tonight, my siblings and I came back from watching “Gladiator 2,” which came out three days ago. I was surprised to hear that they made a sequel to “Gladiator,” as I felt that one just stood on its own. Why make a sequel all these years later?

Ridley Scott is about to turn 87 and he can still make old-school action flicks. His legacy sequel to his Best Picture Oscar winner remains influential and loved by many to this day. Daniel Rester said in his review, “The sequel doesn’t have the same grit and soul as the Russell Crowe-starring original, but it still has enough craftsmanship and excitement to make it a solid follow-up.”

Paul Mescal is the protagonist of the film playing Hanno and the story takes place about sixteen years after the first film. Hanno farms with his wife, Arishat, played by Yuval Gonen, in Numidia. After they are attacked by Roman armies led by General Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal, Hanno is taken prisoner and brought to Rome.

Rome is now under the rule of emperor brothers Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), who want to control even more territory. They schedule gladiatorial games in the Colosseum to celebrate Acacius’ victories, but the general secretly ponders against the rulers. Meanwhile, Hanno is controlled by Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington, and trained to fight as a gladiator.

Rester noted, “Screenwriter David Scarpa, who also penned the scripts for Scott’s films All the Money in the World (2017) and Napoleon (2023), mostly sticks to a formulaic monomyth as Hanno transforms into a Maximus-like hero in the arena.” Scarpa finds easy and artificial ways to connect Hanno to the original film, especially when returning character Lucilla, reprised by Connie Nielsen, recognizes him. The narrative gets more entertaining when it focuses on the two new emperors and Macrinus, a trio of plotting villains. Rester pointed out, “The screenplay’s dialogue has a few rah-rah sections, but little of it has the quotable rhetoric that Gladiator has.”

Rester continued, “Though the script only offers a few real surprises, Scott elevates the film from feeling too cookie-cutter and makes everything look and sound awesome.” His world-building skills remain amazing, with Rome feeling very believable. From the main cast members down to extras playing homeless people, Scott knows how to capture his actors in visually striking ways. He is heavily helped by production designer Arthur Max and costume designer Janty Yates in making scenes and characters stand out. Washington especially stands out in different colorful robes.

Reston said, “The action scenes are mostly mammoth and vigorous, shot with myriad angles by cinematographer John Mathieson and cut with energy by editors Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo. The blood and sweat of the fighters almost feel like they could drip out of the screen. Scott also allows time to show many nuanced facial expressions from people witnessing the violence on display.” Only the CGI for some of the animals during the fights is unbelievable, with baboons, sharks, and a rhino looking obviously CG’ed.

Mescal’s choices change between interesting and flat. “Gladiator II” is his first large picture role as he has been in indie films and television so far. He does fine enough as he tries to make Hanno more complex than what Scarpa has given him in the script. Obviously, he’s not Crowe.

Washington is better, who is the highlight of the movie. Rester said, “The veteran makes eccentric and almost flamboyant choices throughout. It’s a delicious villain performance, and a riskier film might have pushed him as the main character.” A part with him and a decapitated head makes you think that he is trying to reenact Macbeth.

This film won’t have the same impact as the first him. Rester said, “It’s a well-made and very entertaining sequel, but it’s chained to a hackneyed script.” Scott proves that he still has the ability to turn average scripts into above-average movies.

My siblings say that this film was too long and boring. I can understand where they are coming from, but I found myself enjoying this. The over-the-top acting scenes were hilarious, I liked the action scenes, and it did get emotional. I would say check this movie out in the theaters as you should be able to find theaters with plenty of availability seats. Everyone is going to see “Wicked,” but this film is not to be skipped.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned this Friday for the finale of “Buddy Cop Month.”