Gladiator II

16 years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle and escaping Rome, Lucius (Paul Mescal) finds fate leading him to the great Colosseum after the powerful emperor’s army conquers his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honour needed to return the glory of Rome to its people. Following the path of the Gladiator, Lucius sets out on a quest of vengeance and hope as the future of his homeland rests in the balance.

This second instalment in the now Gladiator “franchise” is the sequel that no one particularly asked for. Eyebrows were raised when it was announced that the movie was going to be made due to the golden, multiple award-winning success of the first film, but after revealing the mega cast including Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and the return of Connie Nielsen, the army of sceptics began to retreat slightly.

Gladiator II is a worthy sequel that most importantly doesn’t disappoint. There are sterling performances from the central cast, not least from Mescal, Pascal and Washington, who each bring charm and magnetism to their characters. Each character proves to be more complex than first anticipated, with conflicted morals and objectives moulded by the fires of their past and present. Pascal and Washington’s characters are the true standouts when it comes to writing, with the latter chewing the scenery to the delight of everyone as he tries to climb the greasy pole to power. However, while Mescal is good, his Lucius is no Maximus, a problem that was inevitably going to be unavoidable. Likewise, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger’s twin Emperors are equally as deranged as Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus, but just not quite as menacing.

You worry at first that the movie is simply going to mimic the themes of its predecessor with similar trajectories and motivations for the characters, but the endearing weaving of multiple plots keeps the story ticking and the viewer on the edge of their seat. Despite some uneven scripting and dialogue, the story is more than enough to keep you engrossed for the 148-minute duration, and the return of familiar faces makes for some welcome fan service.

However, to the detriment of the movie, these throwbacks act as reminders of how good the first film is and frequently leave you wishing you were watching that instead.

Historians have questioned the accuracy of some of the action sequences in the movie, particularly the use of sharks in the water-filled colosseum scene, but Ridley Scott has firmly disregarded these notions and when it comes to the popcorn munching cinemagoer, does it really matter? Some dodgy CGI aside, the scenes make for tense and thrilling viewing and totally earn their place in the film. This is without doubt an epic blockbuster packed with action and one of Scott’s best movies in quite a few years.

Although it may not be quite up to the level of the first Gladiator movie, it gives a battling effort, nonetheless. Now the ball is rolling, Scott intends to keep it doing so. According to the veteran director, a script for a third Gladiator movie is already in development and it will be the next project he works on. Fans will wait yet again with bated breath.

Guy Lambert

Gladiator II is released nationwide on 15^th November 2024.

Watch the trailer for Gladiator II here: