Gladiator II (2024) review

Dir. Ridley Scott

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★½

Gladiator and I have had a complicated relationship for years. Most heap effusive praise on the acclaimed epic. I found it decent at best, plagued by murky visuals, a lack of character development, and costumes that, though immaculately tailored, became hard on the eyes, along with the excessive brown. I might be among the few that couldn’t have cared less whether I’d ever see a sequel to one of the weakest Best Picture winners of the last 25 years materialize or not.

I report back from Gladiator II more amused than I imagined. In true legacyquel fashion, it recycles many beats from the original, including the framework and plot-points. A refresh is probably in order. Gladiator revolved around Russell Crowe’s Maximus, a Roman General who became a slave thanks to the ruthless Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Maximus worked his way to becoming the most feared and accomplished gladiators in Rome, which resulted in a duel between him and Maximus in the Colosseum.

Because of this, Gladiator II features an entirely new titular figure. He is Lucius (Paul Mescal), who leads a defense against General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) in the film’s tone-setting opening battle. Lucius’ wife dies and he’s taken in by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave turned wealthy tyrant with hopes of taking Rome for himself and the other socialites. Lucius has little choice but to decimate both men and beasts for the amusement of the Romans.

General Acacius remains in the picture. He conspires with his wife (Connie Nielsen, hint hint) to kill twin Emperors Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), who look like those feral cretins from Mad Max: Fury Road. They’re Romulus and Remus cosplaying as Beavis and Butt-Head. As loud and as obnoxious as they can be, Denzel’s Macrinus is so devious that he commands most of the oxygen in the pulpit of the Colosseum.

I assume most will determine whether or not Gladiator II was worth the price of admission based on the battle sequences. They are plentiful and rewarding, and oh-so absurd. Lucius squares off against various Roman baddies as well as a rhinoceros. At one point, the Colosseum is filled with shark-infested waters — which begs the question, how the hell were those sharks transported? — and Lucius leads a ship of men to battle against another ship. Ores are slices, jugulars are pierced, and sharks feast. Do not question. Just revel in the absurdity.

As was the case with the original, the story’s dramatic beats come across as filler for the more exciting sequences of combat. At times, I heard Buster Baxter’s tuba-led “Ancient Rome” song from the TV show Arthur playing in my head. Scott’s latest unlocked a memory I forgot I had; further proof I spent most of my childhood in front of a television. What I’m getting at is don’t expect the development hell that plagued Gladiator II to have led to a storyline that exists for any other purpose other than to facilitate large-scale set-pieces.

It also doesn’t help that Mescal feels miscast as Lucius. He has the same issue as Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, where he’s often the least interesting soul on screen despite the fact that he’s our protagonist, so we’re forced to spend ample time with him. Mescal lacks the gravitas, and is constantly one-upped by Denzel, who is as charismatic as he is dastardly. Bound to be overlooked is Alexander Karim, a wise former gladiator who now tends to the wounds of the next generation. He’s soft-spoken and perceptive, and his scenes bring out the best in Mescal.

If you’re already on the fence about taking in another Gladiator movie, might I recommend Ridley Scott’s underrated film The Last Duel? Set in France during the Hundred Years’ War, the film treats us to three different perspectives of the same tragic event. It’s filled with great performances, exciting action, compelling drama, warped perspectives, and beautiful cinematography. It’s dimensional and riveting, something now two Gladiator movies have proven to only be on a very surface level.

My review of Gladiator (2000)

Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Alexander Karim. Directed by: Ridley Scott.