Gladiator II

Rating 5/10

History repeats itself–and so do sequels.

Years after the fall of Maximus, Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) finds his life upended when the Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) leads an assault on his city, leaving his wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen), dead. Lucius is sold into slavery and is purchased by the arms dealer Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who trains him as a gladiator for Rome’s Colosseum. Macrinus forces Lucius into brutal combat, dangling the promise of vengeance upon Acacius as motivation. Meanwhile, twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) neglect Rome’s citizens despite Acacius’s pleas for peace. Acacius and his wife, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), are disillusioned with their behavior. Lucius plans to rebel against the corrupt system and restore peace to Rome.

Once again, Rome is in chaos. Gladiator II retells the original’s narrative arc. The account undermines the legacy of Russell Crowe’s Maximus, as the corruption he fought to expose resurfaces with new faces. Sure, this cyclical storytelling is not uncommon in moviemaking. But I expect more from Ridley Scott doing a sequel to a film that won Best Picture. This is just a stale rehash and a less involving one at that. The relationship between Joaquin Phoenix’s tormented Commodus and Russell Crowe’s steadfast Maximus ignited a mesmerizing conflict, serving as the driving force and fiery heart of Gladiator. That absorbing dynamic is missing in Gladiator II.

Actor Paul Mescal has done notable work before in Aftersun and All of Us Strangers. However, his charisma is sapped here, leaving him a bland—albeit muscular—hero struggling to step into the role of a predecessor who gave an iconic performance. Lucius retraces Maximus’s path rather than carving his own unique journey. Without a compelling star, one must search for other roles to draw us in. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger give colorful performances as the Emperors. I liked them. Still, Denzel Washington gets the juiciest part with the most opportunity to provide an exaggerated performance that checks all the proverbial boxes: theatrical, flamboyant, expressive, and campy. It’s fine, an admirable achievement, to be sure, but it becomes the singular highlight only by default because there is literally no one else here to engage our emotions.

The visually impressive fights place an emphasis on quantity not quality. Lucius enters gladiatorial combat, facing a rhino, a battle with baboons, and even a naval clash of ships in a water-filled Colosseum teeming with sharks—I kid you not. It is a sight to behold, one wondrous CGI-augmented display after another.  Cinematographer John Mathieson shoots the clashes with a keen eye for grandeur. Yet, the relentless parade of gory displays stretches the picture to a bloated 148 minutes. And that’s without mentioning the human foes Lucius must overcome. The emotional intensity that defined Gladiator is diluted. These indulgent set pieces don’t enrich the story—they replace it. While the movie dazzles with its scale, I couldn’t help but crave the grounded humanity that made the classic so unforgettable.

Gladiator II is undeniably a spectacle. Sadly, it prioritizes excess over depth. Even though I generally resist comparing sequels to the original, screenwriter David Scarpa compels one to do so by echoing memorable dialogue, reimagining its most iconic moments, and even crafting characters that are essentially copies of their forebears. At least Scarpa wisely refrains from invoking the famous line, ‘Are you not entertained?’ Because then we would have to answer, ‘Meh, a little.’

11-18-24