Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

More than two decades after Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, the long-awaited sequel has arrived. Gladiator II follows Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal), as fate plucks him away from his current home across the sea, and tosses him into the Colosseum. Lucius arrives in Rome at a time when alliances are being rewritten and the air is fraught with political upheaval. With the empire teetering on the brink of change, it will take one man to tip the scales.

Let’s cut to the chase. To be blunt, Gladiator II felt sluggish and uninspired.

I wished Maximus Decimus Meridius would arise and ask once more; Are you not entertained? So I could loudly reply: Nah.

It starts off well enough with an epic battle sequence, but this soon shutters, leaving the audience to deal with the dragging pace. That was fine. Lucius just has to get to Rome and things will pick up. I naively told myself.

Paul Mescal’s Lucius is positioned as the beating heart of the story, yet his character lacks the depth or magnetism to truly command attention. He is a man of few words who often sits broodingly in his cell. When his time did come to give a rousing speech inspiring his fellow captors, I was far from motivated. There were about three background characters I could spot right off the bat who seemed better qualified to unite the oppressed.

It’s possible I’m being unfair, but Mescal was subpar at best, whether it was the material he was given to work with or the fact that he was so heavily overshadowed by the supporting cast. Pedro Pascal’s morally conflicted General Acacius, fares better. You emoted with his conviction of loyalty and love that guided his actions, and genuinely rooted for him to succeed.

The standout scenes and performances of Gladiator II went to Denzel Washington. Even while his character, Macrinus, was quietly observing and absorbing from the sidelines, there was an automatic gravitation to him. Washington was so comfortable in the role he made it look effortless. You could see the gears turning in his head as he worked to out-fox anyone standing in his way. Genuinely, the man needs to run a masterclass in how to look like the lead in a supporting role.

On the topic of antagonists, the twin emperors, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, added an unpredictable edge to the film. Their sibling dynamic was brimming with tension and volatility, with Hechinger, in particular, delivering a standout performance. His character’s erratic energy left you both anxious and enthralled.

All in all I found myself rooting for the bad guys more than the supposed hero. This is both a testament to the strength of their portrayals but also a clear issue with the actual protagonist.

Even Pedro Pascal in a skirt can’t distract from the unnecessary running time of 2hours and 28mins I can barely account for. Visually, there are some great moments (flooding the Colosseum was pretty cool) but undeniably the film lacks the sweeping ambition or emotional stakes of its predecessor.

In the realm of ageing directors indulging in passion projects, Gladiator II is a more cohesive effort than something like Megalopolis. Sadly, it is nowhere near as ambitious or risk taking and therefore falls flat in the inspiration department. For those hoping to revisit the thunderous glory of the Colosseum, this sequel barely scrapes by as a pale echo of its predecessor.

Were you entertained by Gladiator II?