Ridley Scott introduced audiences to his vision of Rome with the historical epic Gladiator in 2000, cementing Russell Crowe as an A-list Hollywood star and reviving the sword-and-sandal genre in films.
After 24 years, the director returns to his classic film with Gladiator 2, a worthy sequel to his Academy Award-winning masterpiece.
The story takes place 16 years after the first film. We follow one of the principal characters, Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal), as he goes on a journey similar to Crowe’s Maximus, with Rome on the precipice of becoming a fallen empire. We see his evolution from being a soldier to a fighter in the arena looking for revenge against the Roman empire for taking the life of his wife at the hands of General Acacius (Pedro Pascal).
Gladiator 2 is very well made, thanks to Ridley Scott’s incredible direction and the production that transports audiences to Ancient Rome. It is a grander film with amazing action sequences that will entertain the masses. It is the kind of film that doesn’t get made anymore with such a high production value with someone like Scott at the helm.
With an all-star cast led by Paul Mescal, each of the actors has put their foot forward with incredible performances. The one standout is Denzel Washington, who commands the screen in every scene he’s in as Macrinus, the arms dealer and mentor to Lucius. Washington is having fun with this morally corrupt character who plays all sides but has his motives behind the scenes.
Pedro Pascal also has a similar character who is displayed as working with the government but isn’t comfortable with where Rome is heading. Once audiences get to know him more down the line, there’s a lot to uncover as to where his allegiances lie. It is especially mixed in with the journey that our main protagonist gets through as these two men are on a collision course towards one another.
Paul Mescal has a daunting task to carry this film, and he excels on his own as Lucius. He has bulked up for the role, and it shows with the incredible stunt work he had to pull for these big fight sequences in the coliseum. His character’s fiery rage and focus are completely shown in Mescal’s performance on screen.
The action scenes in Gladiator 2 are marvelous and impressive to watch. There’s some inventiveness in how these scenes are shown, as we see various animals fighting these fighters in the coliseum as they all try to survive. Even the naval battleship sequences are very well made and show some variety in the kinds of fights these huge stages can pull off.
Audiences will go see Gladiator 2 for the amazing battle sequences, but the dialogues that happen in between are also what helps make the movie engaging. There’s a lot of character development going on as it sets up most of the plot, which takes some time to get to once the first half of the film is done. It may be a bit much for audiences to follow, but perhaps a second viewing could ease those problems.
The sequel follows some familiar beats to the original, becoming somewhat predictable storywise. However, when making a follow-up for a movie like this, it is understandable why it shouldn’t create something more original or take risks. It’s not exactly a carbon copy of the first film, but certain similarities can be made after comparing the two.
The plot is a revenge tale that we’ve seen many times in movies, especially the first film. There was a lot of emotional depth in Gladiator, but it seems like some of that is missing in the sequel, in favor of big epic fights and the spectacle of the arena being more of a focus than much of the story.
Some of the characters carry some of the same characteristics as the predecessor, much like our hero. Paul Mescal has some similar traits to Russell Crowe in the original, but his journey takes a different route. Even seeing both Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger portray the main villains who rule Rome gives off some similar vibes to Joaquin Phoenix’s memorable role of Commodus from Gladiator.
It is great that Gladiator 2 does tie into the original to make that connection, especially when using returning actors like Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprising their roles of Lucilla and Senator Gracchus. It is also smart to utilize some of the archival footage from the first film to give enough of a story for this sequel as well.
Gladiator 2 is an epic piece of work with a lot of energy and ferocity that will pull audiences in, thanks to the superb direction from Ridley Scott. The powerful performances by Mescal, Pascal, and Washington keep everyone entertained for the film’s entire runtime. It may not be on equal footing as the original film, but the sequel is worth checking out just for its spectacle and amazing production.
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Gladiator 2 is now playing in theaters.
