Gladiator II (2024) Paramount/Action-Drama RT: 148 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violence) Director: Ridley Scott Screenplay: David Scarpa Music: Harry Gregson-Williams Cinematography: John Mathieson Release date: November 22, 2024 (US) Cast: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, Alexander Karim, Tim McInnerny, Rory McCann, Yuval Gonen, Alec Utgoff, Yann Gael.
Rating: ***
Although definitely entertained, I can safely say Gladiator II will not repeat the success of the original film and take home the Best Picture Oscar. It’s good, but it’s goofy.
Ridley Scott returns to direct the sequel to his hit film from nearly a quarter century ago. I’m not a big fan of belated sequels. More oft than not, they’re inferior cash-grab projects designed to lure in fans of beloved movies from their youth. I still bristle when I think of Coming 2 America. I had no reason to believe Gladiator II would be any different. Well, it’s certainly inferior to the original, but it’s still a pretty good movie that works primarily because it refuses to take itself too seriously. How seriously can you take a movie that pits Roman gladiators against sharks? Yes, you read that right, sharks.
Set 16 years after the events of the first film, Gladiator II opens with the invasion of Numidia by the Roman army led by General Acacius (Pascal, The Mandalorian). In the fracas, the wife of Hanno (Mescal, All of Us Strangers) is killed. He’s captured and brought to Rome where he’s purchased by Macrinus (Washington, Training Day) as a gladiator. That’s right after he sees Hanno defeat a feral baboon in an impromptu match. He promises Hanno a chance to avenge his wife if he wins enough matches.
It isn’t the most closely guarded secret in the world. Hanno is actually Lucius, the grandson of former Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and true heir to the throne. He was sent away by his mother Lucilla (Nielsen, Nobody) who feared for the boy’s safety after the events of the first film. He’s been living in exile all these years. He’s not too happy to see his mother again, especially since she’s married to Acacius. He’s determined to kill the general.
Gladiator II is more than a mere revenge story. There’s also political intrigue. The current rulers of Rome are twin brothers Geta (Quinn, Stranger Things) and Caracalla (Hechinger, The White Lotus), a depraved pair who look like they’d be right at home in Caligula. There’s a plan to overthrow them and restore the Republic. It’s being led by Acacius and Lucilla. It’s a pretty safe bet they’ll be betrayed and sentenced to death in the Colosseum.
I’d like to circle back to what I mentioned about sharks before. The first Gladiator was a serious-minded sword-and-sandal historical epic. Gladiator II is only half-serious if that. It gets silly. The scene that first comes to mind is a reenactment of a naval battle in the Colosseum. The arena is filled with water with sharks swimming around. According to historians, the shark bit is total BS (No DUH!). I also find it difficult to believe gladiators entered the arena atop a rhinoceros, yet it happens here. Talk about taking historical liberties. It makes it almost impossible to take Gladiator II seriously.
I can take silliness. It usually keeps things interesting. What I’m not crazy about are the two lead actors in Gladiator II. Comparisons to their counterparts in the original movie are inevitable and, in this case, unfavorable. Mescal is okay, but he doesn’t have the commanding presence of Russell Crowe. He has some memorable scenes like when he contemptuously recites Virgil’s poetry to Geta when he asks about his background. However, he fails to take command of the film like Crowe did. Pascal is less effective as the target of Hanno’s ire. He’s nowhere near as contemptible as Joaquin Phoenix. To be fair, he’s a different kind of antagonist. He’s a rational person questioning his loyalty to dictators with dreams of conquering the world. In other words, he’s sane. Unfortunately, he’s also a weak villain.
If Gladiator II belongs to any one actor, it’s Denzel. The man is brilliant in everything and he continues this streak here playing a wealthy landowner who claims to have no political ambitions. Yeah, we know that’s all kinds of BS. This guy desires power and will surely abuse it if he gets it. He doesn’t play Macrinus as overtly evil. Rather, he plays him as smooth and charming with an undercurrent of malevolence. I think it’s deserving of at least an Oscar nomination. Quinn and Hechinger play their roles as a combination Romulus and Remus and Beavis and Butthead. They’re just nuts. Nielsen, reprising her role from the original, exudes grace and maternal love. Alexander Karim (TV’s Tyrant) is great as ally Ravi, a former gladiator who now serves as doctor to injured fighters.
Visually, Gladiator II is a mighty impressive production. I know a lot of it is CGI, but I couldn’t help but admire the sets and architecture. The costumes are also terrific. The cinematography by John Mathieson is gorgeous. The fight choreography is right on-point with plenty of bloodletting. I’m only disappointed about the crowd scenes. Movies like Gladiator II call for actual humans, not digitally rendered people in the stands. Filmmaker, bring back human extras!
As far as sequels go, Gladiator II is a decent one. It’s better than most. Still, I don’t think it was entirely necessary. Then again, is any sequel entirely necessary? It’s a question yet to be answered by mortal man.
