Gladiator II Review
The return of the swords and sandals action epic from the master himself captures some of the magic of the original, but doesn’t come close to touching its legacy.
Led by the General Marcu Acacius (Pedro Pascal), the Roman Empire attacks and takes over the home of Lucius (Paul Mescal). Lucius, with a burning rage against Acacius and the dual Roman emperors of Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), becomes a Gladiator under the guidances of Macrinus (Denzel Washington). As he finds his way in the arena, he also starts to cause waves politically - as the players move in and the balance of power shifts.
Ridley Scott returns to his classic with this sequel, and there are bits that really work, and bits that really don’t.
Let’s start with what doesn’t. Ridley, who is pumping out flicks a mile a minute in this era, brings a bit more of a cavalier attitude to scenes, dialogue and cinematography than the original. There’s a feeling from the off that there is a little bit of paint by numbers about this one, and that isn’t helped by much of the plot being copy pasted from the OG.
There are also a few cringey elements. The CGI is frequently not good - the crazed baboons in particular look terrible. And the fights are sometimes a little journeyman. The action across the board doesn’t touch the first outing. And then there is the dialogue, which while having moments of portentousness, never matches some of the iconic quotes of the first.
But at the same time, there is a lot to love about this movie.
Paul Mescal is great, and brings a brooding strongman energy to his role that makes him feel both capable and strong. Pedro Pascal starts with a bit of disbelief (it’s tough to dissociate him from his internet presence and the work he’s been pumping out lately), but he throws himself into the role in a way that allows us to throw those preconceptions away early on. The guys playing the dual emperors are fine, but the characters have not nearly the impact of Joaquin Phoenix in the first film.
The real standout though is Denzel Washington as Macrinus. Washington chews the scenery up, and carries every single shot he is in. He’s a tour de force, and it really carries this movie. Every scene with him in is a joy to behold.
Gladiator II is the sort of fun, epic, brash movie that takes no prisoners. It won’t have the same cultural presence as the original, and doesn’t come close in terms of performance, stunts, dialogue or plot, but it is an absolute blast to watch; the sort of popcorn movie that will enthrall you throughout.
