GLADIATOR II Review

We’re now past the point of saying legacy sequels will continue to be a thing because we are now in a realm where they are so commonplace; it is more shocking if a year doesn’t have some nostalgic sequel to a film released years prior. The most we can hope for, as audience members, is for people involved to believe in their actions and push these stories into the future while remembering the past. In the case of Gladiator II, Ridley Scott attempts to do just that with a Roman epic that is as much about hope for a better future as it is about the longing for purpose in a broken world.

If that sounds similar to what Maximus Decimus Meridius was trying to achieve in Gladiator, then you would be right. Well, kind of; the idea of a free Rome for the people and the hope for a Rome that wasn’t as interested in political power was the intention of Gladiator; however, while this isn’t a negative on the first film, this intention was quickly foregone in favor of a revenge story, and the idea died with Maximus. Fast forward 16 years, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Lucius (Paul Mescal), has not only forgotten his past, but he has moved on in his own right, taking on a new name and keeping his royal past a secret; he now lives in Numidia in Northern Africa with his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen). In Rome, the empire is now under the command of twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). They are even more ruthless and bloodthirsty than their predecessor, Commodus, and far more intent on expanding their empire. The leader of these expansions is General Marcus Acadius (Pedro Pascal), who pilots a raid into Lucius’s new home of Numidia.

From the initial battle, it’s clear that, even in his mid-80s, Ridley Scott still has more than enough juice left in the tank. While the large-scale battle of Gladiator may have felt more natural, the fight for Numidia instantly raised the brutality and spectacle of these action sequences, becoming a standard for every fight following. The action in Gladiator II proved to be some of the most extravagant in the director's filmography. There was an ambition you don’t usually see from directors of his age; even if some of the visual effects didn’t quite feel up to par with other films today (the monkeys might have been a bit much), most of the scenes in which these effects were used were exhilarating enough to overlook some of the visual missteps.

The action also seemed to work intimately, and when Lucius’s wife is shot and killed, you get your first look at why Ridley Scott wanted Paul Mescal for this film. Mescal is a subdued actor and performer with less than ten film or television credits to his name, and while he may not have quite the gravitas of Russell Crowe (yet at least), he is much further along regarding the small detailed moments. Mescal was powerful, bringing rage and energy to every scene he was in, and throughout the film, you watch not only the character of Lucius grow more into his own as a leader but Mescal as a performer as well. However, acting opposite Denzel Washington in this kind of film might be the best thing for Mescal’s career moving forward.

While Mescal was growing to his own, Denzel Washington has been there; his performance tells you so every step of the way. I have to be honest. It isn’t that I hate Denzel; I have enjoyed his performances and been a fan of most of the movies I have seen him in. I just never entirely understood until now. While I can appreciate that Gladiator II might not be the best performance in his catalog, an argument can be made that this is Denzel at his most Denzel. An actor who might have been born to star in a Ridley Scott film, it’s a blessing it finally happened, and a movie about the Roman empire makes it even better. His natural charisma mixes perfectly with Scott’s somewhat bonkers and all-over-the-place films, and you can tell that Denzel is just having fun. He was able to channel his abilities as a Shakespearean thespian into a performance that felt so natural yet so engaging; with a smirk or a minor quirk or change of inflection, he could shift his character from being someone who seemed out of control into someone who owned the moment. It was a miraculous performance for which he should win the Oscar.

As the film progresses and more plot points fall into place, it’s quickly revealed that this isn’t a retread of the original movie; instead, it feels more like a commentary on it in a pretty spectacular way. As mentioned, in Gladiator, the idea of a free Rome is ancillary to a revenge story; in Gladiator II, the opposite is true. Rage fills Lucius and drives him throughout the film, but he is not raised entirely in Rome, unlike Maximus before him. Because of this, he has a wholly different understanding, and while he is the true Roman heir, he is not fit for power, which may be precisely what Rome needs: someone who shows empathy and inspires hope. This hope is what Gladiator II displays in a way that makes me believe it is a better film than the original—the hope for a better Rome and pushing the generations following forward instead of back. The ending of this film does just that, and while the people now in charge might not be fully equipped and have no idea of what they’re doing, there is a sense that, if this franchise continues, that hope now has a real chance to be explored in a meaningful way.

Ridley Scott uses a strong Paul Mescal and an incredible Denzel Washington to make a legacy sequel that isn’t so much about repeating the past as about attempting to move forward. While Gladiator II shares sentiments similar to its predecessor, the performances, themes, and spectacle outshine the original.

🍿 SCORE = 93 / 100