3 out of 5
Back in 2000, twenty-four years ago, no one was making "swords and sandals" films with gladiators set in Rome echoing big cinema epics like Ben Hur. Gladiator II recaptures the grandeur of ancient Rome, echoing the epic scale of the original. Directed by Ridley Scott, the sequel leans heavily into grand action, however, it lacks the emotional depth that made its predecessor unforgettable.
Set over two decades after Gladiator, the story follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), now called Hanno, who lives as a soldier in Numidia until General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invades, forcing him back into the Roman Empire. Under Macrinus (Denzel Washington), Lucius re-enters the brutal arena, ultimately driven to challenge young emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn) to fulfil his father Maximus’s vision of a Rome free from slavery.
The sequel delivers action, gore, and an electrifying score that elevates the viewing experience, but none of this compensates for the lack of emotional resonance. Unlike the original, which skillfully pulled emotional strings, Gladiator II fails to evoke a lasting impact. Family reunions and Lucius’s separation from his loved ones lack poignancy, leaving viewers uninvested. The story, while epic in scale, is too predictable and lacks nuance, with a few twists that genuinely surprise you.
When Lucius loses people close to him, one is supposed to feel empathetic towards him, but it hardly stirs any emotions. Perhaps the delay and the writers’ strike in Hollywood are to be blamed, or maybe it is just lazy writing.
The hand-to-hand combat scenes of Gladiator made the film a unique experience in 2000. While the action scenes in Gladiator II are good, they don’t add up to the experience people had while watching the Russel Crowe original.
David Scarpa keeps the screenplay more or less linear with flashbacks connecting the dots. The only interesting character in Gladiator II perhaps is that of Denzel Washington as Macrinus, who plays to the gallery. He is covert in his tactics and is driving the politics in the narrative. But it isn't enough. The revelation of Lucius being the Prince of Rome is hardly startling for us or the Roman Empire.
Performances by the cast are great. From Paul Mescal to Denzel Washington to Pedro Pescal, everyone knows the stakes are high, and they are pitch-perfect with their dialogue delivery and action-packed performances. I am still puzzled as to why Denzel Washington delivered his role in an American accent. Everyone else tries and more or less succeeds.
Without a strong emotional core, Gladiator II can feel like a chore, with its two-and-a-half-hour runtime dragging to feel even longer. The addition of strange monkeys crossed with dogs in the arena stretched credibiity and the abilities of the CGI crew too apparently. Don't get me started on the sharks!
I get it. The challenges of making a follow-up to a cult classic film are multiple. While Gladiator II has a few moments that work, overall, the inevitable comparisons to the original prevent it from becoming a wholesome new experience.
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