Movie Review: ‘Gladiator II’

Plot: Sixteen years after the death of Maximus, Lucius (Paul Mescal) lives a humble life with his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) in the North African kingdom of Numidia under his assumed name Hanno. When the Roman army led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invades and conquers Numidia, Lucius is enslaved and his wife slaughtered. Forced to become a gladiator, Lucius is acquired by former gladiator Macrinus (Denzel Washington). Vowing revenge, Macrinus promises to give Lucius the opportunity to kill Acacius if he wins enough battles in Rome. Once he arrives however, circumstances force Lucius to reckon with cruel emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), his estranged mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and his own past. Lucius must utilize all of his skills, cunning, intellect, and savagery to free himself and usher in the dream of Rome that Emperor Marcus Aurelius aspired to.

Review: A follow-up to the Oscar winning 2000 film Gladiator has been discussed since the original movie debuted nearly two and a half decades ago. The early iterations of Gladiator II were truly gnarly and fantastical, with Maximus (despite dying at the end of the first film) traveling through time to various significant historical moments. Unfortunately for fans of the original, the sequel lingered in development Hell for years. Truthfully, I never expected Gladiator II to come to fruition. Yet it’s hard to keep an iconic director down and after cinematic exertions that would make even the most embattled gladiator proud, Ridley Scott finally delivered a sequel to one of his most indelible works.

But is Gladiator II worth another sojourn into the Colosseum?

If you’re looking for a companion piece that will stack up to the original, I’m sorry to say you’ll be sorely disappointed. Gladiator II pales in comparison to the original, with David Scarpa’s script lacking the heart, pathos, and emotional investment that made the first movie remarkable. One of the memorable qualities of Gladiator‘s script was how much we identified with Maximus, despite him being a Roman general. When he loses his wife and son it’s an emotional gut punch that we as the audience feel and makes us invested in his quest for vengeance. That emotional resonance and investment is decidedly absent in Gladiator II. In fact many aspects of Lucius’ story (murdered wife, destroyed home, enslavement, quest for vengeance) are a carbon copy of Maximus’ tale without the pathos and gravitas. That’s not to say I wasn’t interested in Lucius’ journey, it just wasn’t particularly original.

What Gladiator II lacks in story it makes up for visually. This film is simply stunning from a production design standpoint. Set designer Arthur Max delivers a sumptuous visual feast with divine and realistic set design that draws you into 3rd century Rome. When Lucius and company walk into the colosseum it transports you back 1800 years. There’s an air of authenticity you can’t attain with straight computer imaging alone. Janty Yates and David Crossman’s costumes accentuate Max’s work and John Mathieson’s (who worked on the original Gladiator) cinematography sizzles, especially the opening Roman navy attack on Numidia. I wouldn’t be surprised if the aforementioned names receive Academy Award nominations in their respective categories. I just wish Harry Gregson-Williams’ score was on par with their work. Gregson-Williams’ work here is decidedly substandard and made me yearn for Hans Zimmer.

Additionally, my issues with Scarpa’s script not withstanding, Ridley Scott directs Gladiator II with a vim and vigor that’s astounding for an eighty-seven year old man. Whether it’s Lucius’ eventual confrontation with Acacius in the Roman Colosseum, a tense reunion between Lucilla and Lucius, or the raising of Caracalla’s pet monkey to consul (yes you read that right), Scott manages to make these scenes interesting if not necessarily compelling. Although Scott’s track record over the last ten years has been spotty, it’s films like Gladiator II that make me hopeful he’ll be directing movies into his 90s.

Initially, I wasn’t on board with a Gladiator sequel until I discovered who joined the cast. The involvement of Pedro Pascal and Hollywood royalty Denzel Washington piqued my interest. Imagine my shock to find that both actors deliver the weakest performances in Gladiator II. Pascal too often feels like he’s reading lines and is present to collect a paycheck. His romantic relationship with wife Lucilla is so lacking as to be almost non-existent. Washington meanwhile is heinously miscast here, with his portrayal of Macrinus so anachronistic that it took me completely out of the movie. In fact this may be the first performance from Denzel Washington that I’ve ever seen that I genuinely didn’t care for. Thankfully Connie Nielson makes up for this deficiency with a committed performance that’s as good, if not better, than her work on the original film. I also appreciated the diabolical performances of Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger in the roles of Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla respectively. Hechinger’s performance is particularly unhinged, especially in the film’s third act.

Yet, it’s Paul Mescal’s stalwart performance that saves Gladiator II from disaster. While not nearly as captivating or enthralling as Russell Crowe, he nevertheless rises to the occasion. I wholeheartedly bought Mescal in the role and it’s clear he committed fully, with his action set pieces and battles in the arena as epic as you’d expect them to be. Mescal also approves to be adept in smaller moments, especially when his wife is murdered. His emotionally charged reunion with Connie Nielsen, is also one of the highlights of the film. It’s just too bad that Gladiator II loses momentum after Lucius’ battle with Acacius, resulting in an overwrought speech by Mescal when two armies confront each other.

Legacy sequels are often a crap shoot. The chances that a director delivers something akin to Blade Runner 2049 are very remote. Gladiator II is about as far removed from Blade Runner 2049 as you can get. While you’re likely to be entertained, ultimately Gladiator II fails to justify its own existence.

My rating system:

1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad

2 Straight Garbage

3 Bad

4 Sub Par

5 Average

6 Ok

7 Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 A Must See

Gladiator II: 6/10