Gladiator II opens in Australia and New Zealand on November 14, the U.K. on November 15, and the U.S. on November 22.
It’s surprising that prolific director Ridley Scott has only made four sequels in his long career: Hannibal, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and now Gladiator II. His two Alien follow-ups remain divisive, seen by some as overcomplicating the original work’s simple, ferocious beauty. Gladiator II does not burden itself with overcomplication. In fact, it’s a pretty simple restaging of Gladiator’s tale of political upheaval seen through the eyes of a warrior. But as history has shown time and again, the classics can always hit home when staged with verve. Gladiator II is incredibly light on its feet, thanks in no small part to an enthusiastic cast. The modern polish Scott puts on the historical action framework he nailed two decades ago makes this sequel no one asked for a real champion blockbuster.
Like Maximus Decimus Meridius before him, exiled heir Lucius (Paul Mescal) finds himself in Roman custody and forced to engage in gladiatorial combat. Lucius’ anger with the system clashes with his devotion to the ideals of strength and honor espoused by Maximus, which provides some nice conflict for Mescal to play with in Gladiator II’s first half – and helps distinguish his form of heroism from that of Maximus. He enters the arena seeking revenge on Acacius (Pedro Pascal), a popular general who has conquered Lucius’ current homeland. But the story quickly puts Lucius’ personal motivations aside in favor of using him as a symbol for a younger generation fed up with the old ways. There are larger political machinations which increasingly play out around the colosseum games being held in Acacius’ honor and Mescal shoulders the weight of that brewing revolution well. He lets just enough humility and charm shine through in the early scenes, and by the time the character becomes more of a vessel for Gladiator II’s thoughts on leadership, he feels worthy of the mantle.
Maximus casts a long shadow over Gladiator II, but rather than completely mythologizing him, Scott smartly grounds the character’s positive influence in the recollections of those who witnessed his journey – namely, Lucius and his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). That’s mostly handled well, but it does make Acacius, a statesmanlike character very much in the mold of Maximus, stick out a little. He helps remind us there’s still some sense at the highest levels of Roman power. But with Lucius already retreading Maximus’ footsteps, Acacius’ embodiment of Maximus’ ideals feels redundant.
Maximus’ defeat of Commodus in the arena 16 years prior should’ve led to a new golden era in Rome, but the resulting vacuum of leadership left the city an even more paranoid, dangerous place than it was before – a failure of better angels that gets swiftly glossed over in Gladiator II. The Senate has been crippled by the Emperors’ hunger for conquest, leaving old fogeys in the Senate like Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) completely ineffectual. But Lucilla has found her steel in the years since Maximus’ sacrifice, paying for her brother Commodus’ hobbling of Rome by staying close to the levers of power and advocating for justice. With that idealism, and the price she’s willing to pay in service of it, Nielsen adds a lot of depth to a character who felt relatively extraneous last time out.
That element of Gladiator II is most apparent in the current stewards of Marcus Aurelius’ “dream of Rome”: brothers and co-emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Their bloodthirsty whims and equally unpredictable mood swings make this nightmarish pair of little freak boys worthy successors to Joaquin Phoenix’s supremely simpering Commodus. Their antics border on slapstick, but Quinn and Hechinger are each so temperamental and off-putting that they never let you forget the danger Geta and Caracalla pose to Rome’s future. They may not possess the same dramatic weight as Phoenix’s conniving villain, but they do have a lot of eye shadow and a little monkey who wears a dress. That’s pretty much an even trade here in Gladiator II, especially given that Scott finds balance elsewhere.
Denzel Washington is absolutely electric in the role of Marcinus.
In the movie, we get a deeper look at who’s really in charge and how they do it. This is especially true with Macrinus (played by Denzel Washington), a gladiator trainer who went from being a slave to having a big say in the city’s politics. As the story progresses, we see more and more of Macrinus’s smarts and his ability to influence people. Washington is amazing in this role, and he often matches up well with the Oscar-winning actor. Macrinus is always thinking about how to get what he wants, and whether he uses a threatening whisper or a flashy show of his charm, he always makes sure everyone knows who’s boss. We don’t know for sure if Macrinus will use all that power for good or bad. Will he help Lucius or hurt him? The movie keeps us guessing, and Macrinus is as scary as any threat Lucius faces in the arena. He’s also a great way to turn the story when things get too predictable under the rule of Geta and Caracalla.
Gladiator II strikes a winning balance between its palace intrigue and the action of the games, and Scott maintains a breezy pace through the two-and-a-half hour runtime. The arena scenes that serve as the movie’s steady heartbeat tend to put a little more emphasis on size over substance; armed with 20-plus years of VFX advancements, Scott floods the zone with larger-than-life spectacle. A duel with angry baboons and full-on naval combat within the Colosseum walls (a thing the Romans actually did, which shocked me) are no doubt greater than what Scott was able to achieve last time, but it’s not always to more effective ends. The battles are quite distinct from each other (again: baboons and boats), but they all feel just a little bit rushed, a little less focused than their more visceral and immediate counterparts from the first film. Gladiator II’s one-on-one encounters – like a simple swordfight Lucius is forced into at the behest of the Emperors – often wind up feeling more impactful than, say, a CG rhino barreling around the arena floor. But the games’ blend of decadence and brutality completes its most important tasks: showing us the stakes of Lucius’ continued success, and demonstrating that being good at killing other people is a pretty f***ed up metric for that success.
Verdict
Gladiator II builds on the success of its predecessor, drawing strength from the well-worn armor of its predecessor. Paul Mescal delivers a powerful performance as the hero, facing off against Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, as well as Denzel Washington’s unpredictable Macrinus. Scott masterfully weaves together action and drama, even though he’s exploring familiar territory. He manages to lighten the mood, giving Gladiator II its unique identity. While the political intrigue in Rome may be more engaging than the fantastical battles in the Colosseum, both emphasize the significance of bravery and self-control in the face of adversity. They do so in the only way blockbuster cinema can: with a group of brave warriors working together to survive against a giant rhino while a deranged Emperor with a monkey on his shoulder screams from the best seats in the house.
