There are plenty of Gladiator fans. I was never a huge fan of Ridley Scott’s first film. It is fine. It is entertaining, and Scott and his crew utilized modern technology (of the time) to deliver a fun and exciting cinematic romp. For some reason, Scott and other “creative” minds decided that cinema needed a second installment in this franchise. Well, for better or, perhaps, worse, twenty-four years later, Gladiator II is now in theaters, promising more of the same excitement that the first movie offered in theaters.
That said, this follow-up to the successful movie is not a total waste of time but falls short of a film that never truly stood out from others of its genre. I had a good time watching Gladiator II in the theater. Still, it was undoubtedly a case of mindless popcorn cinema with no real, lasting power or relevance to any real-world concerns of today. One might call it escapist cinema, but even so, this sequel never truly sets itself apart from the first movie that spawned it.
Sixteen years after the first film’s events, Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus (Russell Crowe), has been exiled from Rome following his father’s demise. Living under the alias “Hanno,” he has lived in an unconquered land where he, his wife, and her people have thrived. Under the rule of emperors, Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger), Rome conquers the land where Lucius and his new people live. As one of the survivors of the attack, he gets taken into Roman slavery, where he is eventually forced into servitude as a Roman gladiator. Driven by vengeance for the killings of his wife and people, Lucius aims to dismantle the Roman Empire once and for all.
Written by David Scarpa and Peter Craig, and directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator II offers a nearly identical plot with some wild and outlandish gladiator battles, filled with great action and intense gore. While I found the action sequences fun and thrilling, this movie does little to advance and flesh out this world and often feels like a cheap imitation of the first film. The effects work well enough, and the mixture of editing, action, and fight choreography is excellent, but the story needs more depth to deliver something of genuine interest.
For the most part, the cast is solid. Not one actor is ever terrible, but plenty of performances never truly stand out, except for Denzel Washington. Washington portrays Macrinus, an ambitious puppet master who hopes to dismantle the Roman Empire by becoming an inside man. He is the one actor having a great time with his role and utilizes his personality and skills well to embrace his role truly.
As for Paul Mescal, I was very disappointed with his turn as Lucius, he comes across as flat and disinterested in this movie project. He has his fierce moments, but never brings anything interesting to a poorly written character. Gladiator II gives us more of the same but needs to differentiate itself from its predecessor. While it is a movie that should have been tailor-made for theatrical release, it never truly earns its place there.