Maximus is dead, but never underestimate a Hollywood studio seeking to capitalize on its IP. Ridley Scott returns to direct Gladiator II, a swords-and-sandals action-adventure that echoes in eternity when men are being impaled by spears or gored by slave-rhinos but flails when it gets bogged down in political scheming and debauchery. It may not reach the consistent highs of its predecessors, but in the end you’ll be giving a thumbs up when asked, “Are you not entertained?”
Paul Mescal stars as a foreign fighter who is taken as a slave by Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who serves the dual emperors Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, respectively). From there, Gladiator II plays out much like the first one, with our protagonist somehow defying the odds while Rome seemingly bows to the will of some random gladiator in the Colosseum.
The less you think about it the better.
Mescal is perfectly cast; he looks the part and delivers a performance that shifts between I-don’t-give-a-fuck cavalier and snarling rage. Pascal is equally good as the conflicted general, even if Scott and screenwriter David Scarpa (who also wrote Scott’s uneven 2023 action-drama Napoleon) don’t know quite what to do with him. Connie Nielsen returns and is as good as usual, though she’s largely repeating what she did before but without the incestuous intrigue.
Denzel Washington is also in the movie, playing one of several flamboyantly weird characters. It’s far from top-tier Washington, and yet it’s hard to envision too many other actors pulling off what he does here. Ultimately he’s done dirty by the questionable story machinations, his character’s unbridled ambitions hampered by logic holes.
More entertaining are Quinn and Hechinger, who go full nasty-weird much to the audience’s benefit. We don’t get too many starkly bad “bad guys” these days, but both actors bring to life absolutely detestable villains in deliriously delightful ways.
As an Oscar contender, as some people expect (remember, the original Gladiator won Best Picture and Best Actor, and was nominated for three other awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay), Gladiator II doesn’t quite achieve Roman glory; it’s too much of a rehash, and a lesser version of it. But as pure popcorn entertainment, it’s a crowd-pleaser.
When Gladiator II opens to a massive battle sequence, I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear as Scott’s technical proficiency in directing battles and swordfights is on full display. The score pounds, men die, and blood floweth over. It’s awesome.
And when the movie enters the arena, Scott delivers in big ways. From terrifyingly nasty baboons (what the hell were those things?) to lethal rhinos–oh, and mother fucking sharks, fuck yeah!–no man or animal is safe. And of course there is plenty of human combat as well, all of it bloody and gory and loud and incredible to watch on the big screen.
It’s only when Scott tries to do so much with the political scheming that Gladiator II falters and begins to feel like it’s trying a bit too hard to be smart, and to set itself apart from its predecessor. Ironically, Scott gets a little too caught up in tying this back to the first one; similar to Alien: Romulus earlier this year, the worst parts are when the movie attempts unnecessary fan service or connections to what came before.
Gladiator II isn’t perfect. Far from it. But boasting great action sequences, a pounding score by Harry Gregson-William, and plenty of theatrics by all involved, it’s hard to describe this one as anything but a damn good time. Isn’t that enough? Are you not entertained?
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.