Gladiator II Review

Ready to re-enter the Colosseum in ancient Rome? In 2000 Gladiator was released, the historical epic won five Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe. Twenty-four years later director Ridley Scott has given us a sequel - Gladiator II. Scott had a mammoth task at hand, how do you create a sequel to one of the greatest films of all time? Gladiator II is a four-star exhilarating historical epic. It fails to live up to its predecessor, but that doesn't not mean it is a bad film or even an unworthy sequel. I greatly enjoyed the cinematic experience that is Gladiator II, in all its historically epic style! Read on for my full review, there will be minor spoilers. 

Set two decades after the events of Gladiator, you may expect to find a free Rome ruled by a senate that answers to the people, as was the dream of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. a Rome that Maximus fought and died to reform. However, Rome is now ruled by young and cruel twin Emperors Caracalla (Fred Henchinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn), who employ General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) to extend their territory through war. These wars bring Marcus into direct contact with Lucius Venus (Paul Mescal) the grandson of Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) who was sent away for safety after the events of the first film. Gladiator II has a cohesive narrative, there are some story elements I felt could have been explored further, and at times the narrative feels a little rushed as we follow Lucius from warrior to slave to gladiator. Whilst following a very similar formula to the first film, there is a heightened focus on politics, intense plotting and the spectacle of the Colosseum and its games. Whilst on first watch, it's easy to feel that Gladiator II diminishes the conclusion of the first film and the sacrifice made by Maximus. However, after rewatching the first film and taking some time to think it through, Scott has actually created a realistic continuation. Maximus killing Emperor Commodus created a vacuum of power, and despite the vision of a free Rome, there was no one to enforce and drive that change, except a boy and a woman. The Boy (Lucius) was a threat to those who would take this opportunity to seize power from themselves and Lucilla, whilst respected by the senate, is still a woman without power. Gladiator II has a clear direction, a well thought out narrative, which makes it an engaging watch. 

Whilst the narrative structure sticks closely to the first film, the visuals and score are where the film separates itself. The Colosseum games are more exciting, larger in scale and edited to create maximum drama. A particular highlight is the water battle, where the Colosseum is flooded with water and the gladiators must fight to the death on waring boats. It an epic visual feast, full of risk: you either die in the battle or fall into the water where blood hungry sharks await their prey. Considering it has been twenty-four years since the first film you can expect clearer visuals, however at times this is detrimental. What I loved about the first film was the painting like quality to the backgrounds, style and colour grading. It gave the film such an authentic look, it felt as if you were watching a real historical moment. Whereas the sharper visuals fell less authentic. That tied with really lacklustre reaction shots of extras let the visuals down. However, I do wonder if painting style visuals would have been rejoiced by wider audiences that have come to expect the clearest, polished visuals that saturate the market. The score also suffers with Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard not returning. Harry Gregson-Williams fails to create a memorable score and fails to invoke an emotional connection between the visuals and the audience. This for me was the main disappointment, the visuals are perfectly epic (if lacking style) but the score is unremarkable. 

The cast deliver consistently. Each performance is well executed and believable. There are two performances that standout: Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. Mescal remains a relatively new actor on the Hollywood scene, in fact Gladiator II is his first blockbuster movie. Not that you would know it, his performance is faultless, strong in its delivery. If people didn't know who Mescal was before they sure will now, he is triumphant. Denzel Washington is well known for his incredible dramatic Hollywood and stage performances, and he delivers again in Gladiator II. Washingtons' Macrinus is ruthless in his social climbing, he will do anything to gain power with the aim of ruling Rome. Washington brilliantly gives us a cruel, clever character that you cannot help but respect. I also greatly enjoyed the slightly unhinged performances of Joseph Quinn and Fred Henchinger. 

Overall, Gladiator II is an exhilarating historical epic, four star-film. A true cinematic experience. Is it perfect? No, but that doesn't mean it's not worthy of success. It's always tough when a sequel doesn't quite live up to its predecessor. Yet, Gladiator II has its own merits, the Colosseum scenes are breathtaking, the scale of the production amazing - a 3D printed Rhinoceros was even used in one sequence, the fight scenes are perfectly timed in both narrative placement and length, and the cast deliver consistently standout performances. Go into this film with the intention of being entertained and you will not be disappointed! 

Thank you for reading xx