The most iconic moment from 2000’s Gladiator juggernaut sees Russell Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius skewer and then behead some poor chap before he turns on the bloodthirsty spectators, stridently demanding, “Are you not entertained?!” For both the crowd on screen and those watching in cinemas worldwide at the time (and many more at home in the years since), the answer was and has remained a resounding, “Yes, give us more!” But be careful what you wish for.
Almost a quarter of a century later, Gladiator II asks much the same question, and while the answer is again in the affirmative, there’s a hollowness to proceedings this time around that dampens enthusiasm. Yes, I’m entertained, but I’m not stirred, inspired, moved, or much of anything else.
While Gladiator II is undeniably fun, it’s also very familiar. Returning director Ridley Scott and his team borrow many elements (and story beats) from their first instalment but bring little new inspiration to the table. Instead, the film differentiates itself by cranking these familiar elements up to 11, at which point they become cartoonish and absurd (sharks in the Colosseum, anyone?). The result is a flick that’s less satisfying than Rusty’s iconic swords-and-sandals belter but one that’s also never less than highly entertaining.
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Return to Rome
It’s curious that in the 24 years since Gladiator’s release, Scott and Co have been unable (or unwilling) to come up with a second story. You’d think a world as rich, vibrant, and complex as the one dominated by the Roman Empire would have an infinite number of fascinating tales to tell.
Instead, we once again follow a burly tough guy, wronged and then enslaved by Rome, who vows revenge against a particular high-ranking Roman. In the meantime, however, he has to battle it out in the gladiatorial arena. Of course, there’s also lots of high-minded talk about democracy and handing Rome back to the people, but didn’t they sort that out last time?
Here, our hero comes in the form of Paul Mescal. He plays Lucius—the child prince from Gladiator—who apparently was forced into exile after that movie’s finale and has since made a nice, modest life for himself. But after the Roman army comes rampaging through his new home under the command of Pedro Pascal’s General Marcus Acacius, well, it’s time for some good old-fashioned revenge.
While there’s no way he’ll repeat the Oscar win that Crowe received for his Roman excursion, Mescal makes the most of what he’s given to work with here, bringing the necessary physicality to the combat scenes and proving just as adept at quiet brooding as he is belligerent shouting. His role lacks some of the depth of feeling contained within Crowe’s Maximus, but he’s a perfectly acceptable substitute for the most part.
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Villainous Relish
More interesting are the villains of the piece. First, Denzel Washington looks like he hasn’t had this much fun since Training Day. As the charming and scheming slave dealer Macrinus—a man with ambitions for the throne who sees Lucius as a tool he can use to climb Rome’s hierarchy—he’s clearly having a whale of a time.
Similarly fun and fiendish, although far more unhinged, are the Emperors Geta and Caracalla. This pair of deranged rulers are portrayed by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, both of whom appear to have seen Joaquin Phoenix’s reptilian turn as Gladiator‘s Commodus and said, “Hold my beer.”
While it’s somewhat confusing how these two could possibly have come to power after the events of the first film, it’s fascinating to watch their sickly codependence break down as their deteriorating mental states cause havoc for Rome.
While Gladiator II’s heroes embody a predictable stoicism, any time Washington, Quinn, or Hechinger are on screen, there’s a palpable sense that anything could happen. I suppose that partly explains my disappointment at the film’s determination to rein in that sense of unpredictability in favour of closely following the formula of the first.
A Flood of CGI
Speaking of which, when it comes to the spectacle one expects from a Gladiator sequel, there’s a certain grounded grittiness contained within the original that, unfortunately, just hasn’t carried over. It’s a shame we now live in an age where CGI has made anything possible and yet our over-reliance on it removes the tangible feeling from so many modern action set pieces.
I’ll take the clever visual tricks that were deployed so Maximus could face off against real tigers over this outing’s computer-generated baboons, rhinos, and, yes, sharks, any day. There’s an entire naval battle conducted in a flooded Colosseum—something the Romans actually did—but it just doesn’t quite work. I don’t know if the CGI looked ropey or if it’s just that my brain knows on some level that it couldn’t possibly have been created outside of a computer. Either way, the impulse to throw ever larger spectacles up on the screen via CGI sadly doesn’t always translate to better action or a more enjoyable film. The effect is often quite the opposite.
Final Verdict
Gladiator II will certainly entertain you, but probably only the once. It’s hard to imagine a few years from now when presented with the choice of revisiting either Maximus’ or Lucius’ story that anyone will pick the latter. For the time being, it’s worth checking out in order to witness Denzel Washington delighting in his own villainy and for what satisfying sword-slinging there is that hasn’t been entirely weighed down by a rhino’s worth of CGI. I just hope they come up with a new story when they inevitably get around to making Gladiator III.
★★★☆☆
Gladiator II is produced by Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment and Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was released in Australia on November 14, and stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. It is a direct sequel to Gladiator (2000) and was written by David Scarpa from a story he penned alongside Peter Craig.
