Walking into Gladiator II with high hopes for an entertaining sequel that could somehow match, or even top that of Russell Crowe’s legacy in the original film was never going to be a good idea. Fortunately, after the shambles that was Napoleon, we adjusted our expectations accordingly. Thank goodness.
Gladiator II ultimately presents itself as a slightly too-long popcorn flick with enough gravity and action to entertain throughout the 2hr30m runtime. Denzel Washington shines bright among a sea of mediocrity, while David Scarpa’s script proves once and for all that he doesn’t belong at the forefront of a Ridley Scott epic, for lack of a better word.
Justifying the ends
We’d be willing to bet that Ridley Scott’s plan for Gladiator II involved nothing more than sticking a II on the end of the title and moving forward accordingly. That’s not to say Gladiator II is a complete re-hash of the first. There is a plot here, if thinly-veiled. It just so happens to be a shallow one that struggles to justify its existence.
Gladiator II follows Lucius (Mescal) AKA ‘Hanno’ – son of Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) – whose home is conquered by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) in the name of Rome, under twin tyrannical emporers Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn). Hanno, forced into slavery under the wing of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), attempts to restore the glory of Rome, while Macrinus sets himself up as the true villain.
David Scarpa pens the script (not something we were glad to see after Napoleon), though Peter Craig shares the credit for the overall story. Ridley Scott returns to returns to helm the rest, putting his foot down and delivering some spectacular action set-pieces, all while pulling a brilliant performance out of Washington, who in turn tries his damndest to eek something out of Paul Mescal.
That’s not entirely Mescal’s fault, however, with a sub-par script taking most of the blame. Gladiator II struggles to let go of the first film’s legacy, damaging what could have been an excellent performance. Save for the few moments that allowed Mescal to truly let the cat out of the bag (mostly near the end of the film), we spent most of the runtime waiting for Washington to return.
Scarpa and Scott work well to balance the plot and stunning action sequences – neither overstaying their welcome. Scarpa stumbles occasionally, focussing wholly too much on Pascal’s character, who feels shoehorned into the script to add some much-needed personal conflict (and so the publishing house could point and say “Pedro Pascal!” over and over again). That’s a feeling that shrouds the entire movie and doesn’t leave.
Time to grab the popcorn
With hardly any reason to root for Hanno – aside from the fact that he’s the main character and son of the guy you actually like; ala Gladiator (2000) – the action can at times feel devoid of personality. That’s not entirely a bad thing. Mescal never feels in danger throughout the film, and Scott brilliantly works that to his advantage, creating more fantastical, epic sequences as opposed to a more character-driven narrative where smaller is almost always better.
Every battle feels different and importantly, over-the-top – a must after the more grounded Gladiator. Gladiator II separates itself from the first in these moments, providing battles against the animal kingdom that really amp up the energy. Arguably the worst bits of the movie are those gladiator-on-gladiator battles you’d expect to be more prevalent here, mainly due to a distinct lack of conflict and at times, logic.
Even when your eyes aren’t feasting on all the gory action, Scott never lets them go to bed hungry. The world of Rome feels alive, and even somewhat historically accurate, something Scott has been known to fudge on occasion. The extras, the clothing, everything is someone’s hard work and it wasn’t lost on us. Another big plus – Gladiator II doesn’t cloak the world in darkness. God, the bar is so low, but Rome is vibrant and sets the tone perfectly.
We won’t say any more here. The brilliant action is easily the best part of the whole movie, putting the ‘popcorn’ in the phrase popcorn flick. If you aren’t all that worried about plot, you’ll want to see Gladiator II on the biggest screen possible. An IMAX, if you can find it, though the big screen up at Emporer’s Palace suited us just fine.
Get Denzel his Oscar. Now
You’ve seen us praise Denzel’s performance countless times here, and you’re about to see a whole lot more of it. But first, we’ll start with those castings that just absolutely do not work, namely involving those of Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger. In that order. Nielsen, being the only original cast member to return, feels uninterested in reprising her role, often doing the bare minimum from scene to scene.
Again, in the case of Mescal, a large portion of blame falls to Scarpa, whose script fails to find an interesting way to weave her into the film, sparingly using her character to deliver some much-needed exposition every now and again. Her plot serves to further Pascal’s, who similarly feels underutilised in a nonsensical fashion. Pascal, at least, does his best to work with what he’s got and even manages to deliver an ounce of personality.
Twin emporers, portrayed by Quinn and Hechinger are arguably the biggest blemishes on this otherwise great cast. Both fail to deliver any sort of foreboding, despite acting as the film’s biggest villains (at least at first) and attempting to fill the rather large shoes of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus. Instead, what we get are two overly cartoonish characters that fail to deliver on the vibe Gladiator II promised.
Seriously, it’s astounding to even imagine Washington and Hechinger are in the same movie. On the one hand, you’ve got Denzel pouring his heart out into the role – instilling a sense of dread that the audience can feel gnawing at them, without ever truly realising it. That’s on top of the script’s very few shining moments that bring out the best of Washington. On the other hand… well, just take our word for it that Hechinger isn’t all that great.
Gladiator II verdict
A whole year later after Napoleon and Gladiator II hits the big screen, rectifying some of Scott and Scarpa’s biggest missteps in terms of plot, while only amplifying his strengths: action and worldbuilding. Focus on the latter, and Gladiator II presents itself as the blockbuster of the summer, while those looking for more personal character-driven narratives might want to stay in and watch Gladiator again.
Gladiator II begins its local theatrical release today, Friday, 15 November.