*This review is spoiler-free, but general knowledge of the original “Gladiator” is assumed. This is my opinion only.
Twenty-four years after the release of “Gladiator,” its highly anticipated sequel, “Gladiator II,” just hit theaters, and it’s proved to be quite polarizing, to say the least. “Gladiator” is a certified classic and has embedded itself into movie history, capturing audiences for decades for its unapologetic grandeur and solid sense of self. “Gladiator II” tries its best to follow in the original film’s footsteps and builds directly off the first one (so if you haven’t watched the original in a while, you’re going to have to go back and at least read a summary to be able to understand the sequel). It follows the story of Hanno, a warrior whose home is taken by the Romans and has hidden ties to Rome; he is later sent into the gladiatorial ring. Meanwhile, Rome is plagued from the inside with unrest, crumbling under the tyranny of twin emperors Geta and Caracalla.
“Gladiator II” is certainly not the most compelling release of 2024, though it might be one of the most popular ones simply due to its impressive legacy. However, the initial title of this article is a little bit misleading. If you are looking for pure action and spectacle, “Gladiator II” won’t disappoint in the slightest. If, however, you are looking for the emotional charge and thunderous star quality of the first, the sequel falters in that regard. It tries its best, certainly, but never quite gets there.
“Gladiator II” is generally a dark, gritty movie, like the first, and opens right up with an intense action sequence. Some logical pitfalls aside, the sequence is well-done and exhilarating, but the real action comes in the gladiatorial arena. “Gladiator II” is wholly a blockbuster action film and it’s immediately obvious where its strengths lie. It’s bloody but not to an excessive degree, and each action scene is beautifully choreographed, each with even more splendor than the last. At one point, the Colosseum fills with water, and the gladiators engage in an aquatic battle, which is undeniably stunning (though not fully realistic).
Throughout the movie, the cinematography isn’t anything to marvel at, but it amps up occasionally for specific scenes. Similarly, the music is not as good as the first movie (it’s hard to compare to Hans Zimmer), but it’s pretty decent and escalates when needed. Other areas fall slightly short, such as the costuming or the props. The costuming doesn’t contribute much at times, and at other times, it’s just strange and impractical. The props are mostly fine — though at some point, a decapitated head is brought out, and it’s so painfully fake that it knocks down the prop department a few notches for me.
Paul Mescal plays the role of the titular gladiator, with Denzel Washington (Macrinus, who buys Mescal’s character into gladiatorial service), Pedro Pascal (General Acacius), Connie Nielson (Lucilla, Acacius’s wife), Joseph Quinn (Emperor Geta), and Fred Hechinger (Emperor Caracalla) in supporting roles.
Acting-wise, the movie is neither excellent nor awful. Mescal’s acting improves as the movie progresses; at the beginning, it’s incredibly underwhelming, but as things go on, he seems to become more comfortable in his role. His character and his portrayal don’t quite hold a torch to Russell Crowe’s Maximus; however, he injects his own sense of character into the performance, and overall, it’s not bad. You can certainly tell that he’s doing the best with what he’s been given.
The rest of the performances similarly fall into the category of not bad but not very engaging, with a few exceptions: Denzel Washington, of course, is the highlight here, seemingly the only actor who knows exactly what he intends to do with his character. He consistently drives every scene with a sense of assured purpose, stepping into the role with deft technique. With how important Macrinus is to the plot, if Washington’s performance hadn’t been so compelling, the movie would have suffered greatly.
Another standout I would like to mention is Joseph Quinn (you may know him as Eddie Munson from “Stranger Things”) as Emperor Geta. Like the first movie, the antagonists here are the emperors; this time there are two, as they’re twin brothers. Geta is entirely evil but also not a complete lunatic like his brother Caracalla. While Quinn doesn’t do the evil emperor jig nearly as well as the original (Joaquin Phoenix as Emperor Commodus), he delivers a highly focused intensity to the screen that I enjoyed a lot.
When we get into the script, things start to get bad and sometimes downright ugly. There are naturally many deaths, and unlike the first movie, the death of significant characters doesn’t seem to be taken seriously. The death of a character is actually what drives the beginning of the plot, and I am not exaggerating when I say that I’ve never seen a character who was more obviously created just to die. Her relationships and significance are nonexistent and she has about two minutes of screen time; especially when her death plays such an important role in the plot, this is absurd. The audience feels nothing and is expected to simply play along with the plot device. As for other characters, the same follows; none of them are very complex and seem to plod along with the plot instead of moving it forward.
Now let’s take a look at the centerpiece of “Gladiator II”, the titular gladiator Hanno (or Lucius). The first “Gladiator” was quite character-focused, and even though Maximus was a simple character, he flourished beautifully over the course of the movie. Up until the very end, he was fiery and bright and simply an excellent character. His motivations were convincing and his character was well-written, providing his character with solid emotional weight.
On the other hand, our main lead of “Gladiator II” tries his best to emulate Maximus and unfortunately falls short. He isn’t super developed as a character, and the development that he does undergo is too abrupt. Besides this choppy development (occurring around ⅗ the way through the movie), he stays rather stagnant. Otherwise, as a character, he has a quieter kind of fury, unlike Maximus’s fiery rage, but he can go absolutely ballistic when needed. These aspects of his character are all compelling; he’s just rather half-baked since the movie focuses on its action and spectacle rather than furthering its characters. It almost seems as if he didn’t get enough screen time, which can’t be possible since he appears in most scenes, but that’s the feeling you get. He’s underdeveloped, to put it simply.
Pacing-wise, the movie flails. In the beginning, we get little to no exposition before we are thrust into the action, and immediately after that, the movie’s middle section begins. The ending climax is very, very quick, as well as lackluster. It simply can’t compare to the ending sequence of the original “Gladiator.” There’s a battle that vaguely references its predecessor, but it ends far too quickly without ever packing the emotional punch the writers surely intended for. The ending after that is rushed and unfulfilling. The wheat scene from the first movie makes a comeback, which I liked, but it also doesn’t really have anything to do with “Gladiator II” and just seems like a half-hearted attempt to win over audiences. Meanwhile, in the middle, there is so much drag and so much rushing at the same time. Unnecessary scenes are thrown into the mix while the important relationships and characters suffer as a result of unfocused development.
As a small side note, the original’s dialogue is not amazing, and the sequel’s might be even worse. The characters speak over-pompously, and at best, it sounds okay, and at worst, it sounds ridiculous (especially since many of them speak in modern American accents or some weird approximation of a modern accent mixed with an old English accent). Our main character gives about three motivational speeches throughout the film, all of which are incredibly short and not very well done. Pascal’s character also gives a speech once. It’s all very underwhelming, especially considering that these are very good actors who could do so much more if just a little more thought had been put into the script.
Overall, though, “Gladiator II” is a fun watch. If you are there to experience the thrill and harken back to the first movie’s world, it’ll most likely be enjoyable. After you walk out of the theater, however, and think back more closely, things don’t quite hold up under closer scrutiny. It was only entertaining enough for me to sit through it. Unlike the original, I won’t remember it when I think back to it years later. It’s a fun, thunderous action flick. That’s all.
Quick Facts:
Gladiator II (2024)
Rating: R (graphic violence)
Runtime: 2h 35m (2h 28m without credits)
Director: Ridley Scott
My Rating: 5.5/10
