Gladiator II (UK/USA, 2024)

Throughout his career, Ridley Scott has assiduously avoided sequels, making only two: Hannibal (the follow-up to Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs) and Alien: Covenant (the sequel to his own Prometheus). Gladiator II marks the third. Why has Scott once again ventured into the days of the Roman Empire? It might have something to do with his recent track record: since the 2015 release of The Martian, he has experienced box office flop after flop, with most of those titles being as critically derided as they were publicly ignored. Returning to the setting of one of his most praised works, the Oscar-winning Gladiator, might have seemed like a no-brainer. And, although the film falls short of the heights achieved by its predecessor, it is nevertheless a serviceable swords-and-sandals adventure and arguably the most entertaining film Scott has made in the past nine years.

Gladiator II focuses on Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal), the son of famed gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius (played in the first film by Russell Crowe) and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). As the grandson of Marcus Aurelius and nephew of the childless Commodus, he is the heir to the throne of the Roman Empire. Sent into hiding in Numidia to avoid assassination, he has lived contentedly for 15 years with his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) until the arrival of Roman legions led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). During the ensuing battle, Arishat is killed and Lucius is captured. In Rome, he is purchased by Macrinus (Denzel Washington) to fight in the Coliseum. Macrinus is planning to usurp the throne from the unstable brother Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and, when he learns of his slave’s true identity, a plot to further his aims crystallizes.

Scott and screenwriter David Scarpa do a good job of mixing Roman politics (which are about 90% fictional) with bloody fights and battle scenes. Narratively, the movie is at times reminiscent of the first Gladiator, reminding the viewer that this is by comparison an inferior film, but it is engaging on its own terms…assuming the viewer can accept a major plot contrivance. That may be a bridge too far for some but it’s needed to provide the connective tissue between the two films, yet the production might have worked better by not requiring Lucius to be the son of Maximus.

I won’t claim to have been overly impressed by Paul Mescal in this role. As good as he can be (consider his work in All of Us Strangers), his attempts to replicate Crowe’s dour brooding don’t work. I never warmed to the character. On the other hand, Pedro Pascal is quite good – he brings a soulful moodiness to the part of Acacius, a beloved hero who despises what duty requires of him and who becomes complicit in a betrayal of the Emperors when his conscience dictates it. Denzel Washington seems to having a delightful time playing Macrinus. Although this isn’t Washington’s first time as a villain (indeed, his Training Day Oscar was for one such portrayal), he adds a dash of charm to the characterization. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger lean into the warped nature of their characters, tending toward a cliched, Caligula-lite approach that was apparently inspired in part by Beavis and Butthead. The only two returning actors from Gladiator are Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi (whose contributions to the sequel amount to little more than an extended cameo – his Senator Gracchus is in about three scenes).

As one might expect, the movie looks great. The arena fights are expertly choreographed and ably presented. Indeed, the entire production is workmanlike. But one has to ask whether audiences have moved on in the 24 years since Gladiator graced screens and whether the notable (albeit expected) absences of Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix might dampen whatever enthusiasm exists. Although Gladiator II is an engaging diversion, it never feels like the epic one expects nor does it truly escape the shadow cast by the earlier chapter. In short, although there’s unquestionably entertainment value in the sequel – enough to justify the 2.5-hour running time – this seems like yet another second installment that no one was really asking for. I guess the box office receipts will decide whether the bloated budget (somewhere between $210M and $310M, depending on who is telling the truth) was warranted. Scott has mooted the possibility of a Gladiator III but that’s something I would only be interested in if it were to break new ground. Two films mining similar ore is enough.

Gladiator II (UK/USA, 2024)