It was no easy feat to follow a beloved, multi-Oscar-winning epic after 24 years, but Ridley Scott’s inconsistency also wouldn’t have helped; certainly, Napoleon left me tepid in anticipating any subsequent Scott product. Plus, the first trailer with an unwanted rap song did it dirty. To say it isn’t the original is almost a rhetoric. Yet, for a movie that has been metaphorically thrown to lions, Gladiator II has more than enough to positively answer if I was entertained.
The legacy sequel at first had me worried by the almost repeated narrative: a military-oriented guy suffers tragedy and, after becoming a slave-turned-gladiator, he seeks to defy the corruption of the Roman Empire, run by a depraved ruler. Except this time, we have two depraved Emperors. But, for its own merits, the sequels shakes off the original and wears its own skin. Some cheesy callbacks aside, the movie is a cut above most of the legacy sequels these days.
The second half redeems the formulaic first half through its insight into Roman politics and scheming. And this lead into a surprising array of great supporting characters, with stellar performances to top it off. Pedro Pascal was a stand out for me. I know a faction of the internet likes to ridicule him for getting over-employed, but he is undeniably talented and can play three-dimensional antagonists in his sleep. If Marvel allows him to harness these qualities, he’ll be the best Reed Richards by miles.
Denzel Washington is always fantastic. Playing the Gladiator-verse’s answer to Little Finger, his character is the crux of what makes the second half so enjoyable. He’s a constant enigma, with a fun sprinkle of camp, that adds some murk onto the legacy of Marcus Aurelius. Connie Nielsen slips back into her 24-year-old role like a glove. Even Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger do well to deviate from Joaquin Phoenix’s iconic Commodus. They, like most of the support cast, lean into the helplessness of two immature boys suddenly having been gifted the grandest of responsibilities and riches.
In enough ways to make me satisfied, Scott resurrects his complex writing around the world of Rome he made back in 2000. That is, until we get to the protagonist. Russel Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius was always going to be a tough act to follow, especially as it gave Crow his Oscar. Paul Mescal is a fantastic rising star but the character of Lucius, previously played by Spencer Treat Clarke, always seems in the shadow of Maximus and my mind kept wondering every time he returned to the screen. His tragic backstory was embarrassingly redundant and kept leaving my memory. Of all the characters journeys, his is the one I remember the least.
Outside of the intriguing plots around the throne, the gladiator battles are bizarrely forgettable. I am aware of the Colosseum’s tendency to reenact sea battles or include animals, but it came across as scope overload from Scott. And unfortunately, Harry Gregson-Williams’ soundtrack is only emotionally uplifting when he’s repeating Hans Zimmer’s epic swells. I cannot remember another note from anything new offered.
Spectacle and music aside, Gladiator II is not the forgettable sequel in the shadow of its predecessor I expected it to be. Several aspects feel that way, but others advance beyond that. A weak protagonist is marginally made up for by a great supporting ensemble, strong performances and genuine care from the initial director revisiting his Oscar winning craft. And after the catastrophic crash of Joker Folie À Deux, that is a refreshing sentiment.
