Carl Roberts 
Step into the arena with Gladiator II. Prepare for a thrilling battle filled with heart-pounding action and unforgettable moments.
Twenty-four years after the original took our breath away, Gladiator II is heading to the box office arena. The film, once again directed by Ridley Scott continues the storyline that started in the Oscar-winning epic movie. Of course, there is no Russell Crowe to lead the film this time so it falls to Paul Mescal to lead the cast into battle. Also featuring Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington, the film looks stunning from the start.
With opening credits that use painted images as a flashback to the original film, we sit back and expect to be entertained as we were before. However, can the film make a glorious return to the arena or should the original film have been left as a one-and-done?
PREMISE
Over two decades after the events of Gladiator, Lucius—the son of Lucilla and Maximus—lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius invade, killing his wife and forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by Maximus, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator under the teaching of Macrinus, a former slave who plots to overthrow the young emperors Caracalla and Geta.
THOUGHTS
While the film looks wonderful, has some emotional depth, and has some great acting performances, it isn’t in the same league as the original. Far from it. That’s not to say that Mescal doesn’t fulfil the lead role in the same way Crowe did. In fact, Mescal delivers a wonderful performance. As do Pascal, Quinn, Hechinger, Raz, and Nielsen. Jacobi, I’ll be kind and say at least he turned up to reprise his role in such a limited capacity. While they need to create a new word for Denzel Washington’s scenery-chewing performance which is the highlight of the film.
And for the first two-thirds of the film, we are promised the epic we expected. But the final third of the film is hollow, empty and is devoid of any real emotional weight. It undoes all the good that has gone before it arrives. And this drags the film down to a slightly better-than-average movie.
THE PLOT
The film makes the mistake of trying to fool us into Mescal’s character’s true identity. We know from the start that he is, in reality, Lucius, the offspring of Maximus and Lucilla. Why he hasn’t been by his mother’s side since the climax of the first film is explained away quite believably. The core of the film is about the corruption, deceit, and powerplays that infest the city of Rome. How the quest for power will corrupt even the assumed incorruptible. Power is everything in Rome. Those who have it, wield it to their own whims and desires. Those who lack it plot and scheme while swearing loyalty. Lucilla knows this and how Lucius’ claim to the throne will endanger his life for all those who desire the crown. And as such, she sends him away to save his life.
THE DESIRE FOR REVENGE
Of course, all this is rendered moot when Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius arrives to attack Numidia for the Roman empire, killing Lucius’ wife in the process. Just like the original film and the quest of Maximus himself, this leads to a desire for revenge against the one who killed Lucius’ wife. Cue training scenes, battles in the arena, plots to gain revenge against those who wronged him, you get the picture. To be fair, the film does enough to be different from its predecessor.
It does forge its own path while paying homage to what has gone before it. (Flashback scenes of Crowe as Maximus adorn the film in places.) And it does a great job of portraying Lucius’ path to tread while in the shadow of his legendary father. But in other respects, it is a case of deja vu. While the arena scenes are a joy to behold, we can’t escape the feeling we are watching a vastly inferior film.
TWO EMPERORS
Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta and Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla are the two villains of the piece. Between them, the two actors bring all the sleaze, corruption, treachery and vileness that Rome has to offer. Both of them play their roles superbly, with Hechinger actually providing some much-needed hilarity to proceedings, lifting some of the gloominess that infests the film.
Quinn, meanwhile, displays his acting talent for the world to see. The pairing comes out of the film to tremendous effect, turning what could so easily have been nothing more than a comedy double act into two differing Emperor brothers that you take lightly at your peril. They are differing sides of the same coin. Geta is the strong-thinking, unyielding, strong ruler while Caracalla is the slightly deranged, mostly insane, bloodthirsty one with a pet monkey as his best friend.
DENZEL WASHINGTON
Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a former slave who plots to control Rome. At every turn, we are unsure until just after the halfway point exactly whose side Macrinus is on. The answer is simple: His own side. While we felt a kinship with Oliver Reed’s Antonius Proximo in the original film, we don’t feel anything like it here. Macrinus has us liking him one moment, the next, we detest him. Washington is the highlight of the film when he appears on screen.
There are no words in the English dictionary to describe his performance here. He doesn’t just chew the scenery, he devours it and keeps coming back for more. His smile, disarming speeches and ways hide the truth about the character and his motivations. Washington is simply enthralling in his role. There are whispers he could be in line for a Best Supporting Actor nomination coming his way. To be honest, I can’t argue with that statement.
THE SCORE
The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is an anomaly. While the composer tries hard to use his own motifs to create a winning score, he is both helped and hampered by one HUGE thing: Hans Zimmer. Zimmer’s score for the original film was perhaps one of the best works he has ever created. By taking over composing duties here, Williams tries to blend his own score with Zimmer’s musical cues and motifs. The result is a mishmash in places. That isn’t to say the score isn’t good because it is.
The problem is, without Zimmer’s score to use as a base, Williams’ music maybe wouldn’t have fitted the film. It is the reason why he is helped and hampered by Zimmer. By using his score as the base, Williams crafts a soundtrack that fits the film well, invoking memories of the original film. By the same token, he could be accused of copying, and that accusation isn’t fair, doing the composer an injustice.
VERDICT
While by no means a bad film, Gladiator II just feels like an afterthought. Something that, while worthy and entertaining, didn’t really need to be made and feels like it has arrived at least fifteen years too late. While the flashbacks and references to the original film manage to hold the sequel up, it reminds us that the first film was something that stands the test of time. Something that was like lightning in a bottle. By trying to recapture it, the sequel comes across as a pale copy of its predecessor. While it is enjoyable and a fitting continuation of the story, it simply feels lacking in places.
TRYING A LITTLE TOO HARD TO TOP THE ORIGINAL
Think back to the first film and the sequences in the arena. The two that stand out are Maximus taking on a Tiger and the Chariots in the arena sequence. Here, we get a Rhino attacking Lucius and his friends and a sequence of a flooded arena filled with hungry sharks. While they are different, they are also a repeat of what we saw before. Exchange a Tiger for a Rhino and Chariots for Galleons and you’ve got the same sequences again, almost. The film tries a little TOO hard to top what made the original a standout.
THOSE ABOUT TO DIE
Another problem comes in the shape of Prime Videos’ series Those About To Die. The series premiered a few months back and contains several scenes and sequences that Gladiator II replicates. If you’ve seen the series, you’ll simply shrug and say ‘I’ve seen this before.’ It takes away some of the drama that the film needs to sustain itself. If the release dates had been reversed, the film would stand out more. Sadly, the Prime Video series has beaten it to the punch, stealing a lot of the film’s thunder. Yes, the fight scenes, blood and gore saturate and fill the screen. And it is nasty in places. But again, we get the feeling of deja vu.
It has been said that Ridley Scott is working on a Gladiator III. To be honest, a third film isn’t needed, at all. Ok, so audiences may want to see the continuation/ climax of the saga. But it may work better as a streaming series rather than a big-screen movie. This isn’t the Oscar-winner the original film is, in no shape or form. It will make money and does fit in well with what’s gone before it. But for me, it is a bit too little, too late. While the film is worth re-entering the arena for, and doesn’t get a thumbs down, it sadly isn’t a thumbs up either. It is a middling affair that does enough to survive and doesn’t fall on its sword. Are we not entertained? Yes, we are. But it is a close thing.
Gladiator II is in cinemas from Friday from Paramount Pictures.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
