REVIEW: Gladiator II (2024)

Movie Reviews

Gladiator II falls in the middle of the unnecessary sequel spectrum. It’s nowhere near as good as Gladiator, if that even needs to be said, and it doesn’t add anything to an already complete and satisfying narrative. But it’s not a complete waste of time, either; it has some decent battle scenes and a few good performances to keep you entertained, if not enthralled. However, it doesn’t have the heart or soul of its predecessor, and it’s burdened with too many plotlines that vie for attention and only intersect late in the film, plus some huge lapses in character development that make the arcs feel unearned.

Sixteen years have passed since Gladiator, and Rome – under the rule of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) – is expanding its empire, conquering foreign lands and bringing the survivors back as slaves. After the Roman army, led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), seizes the North African city of Numidia, the exiled prince Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal) is one such slave, and after he’s bought by arms dealer Marcinus (Denzel Washington), he becomes a gladiator. But Lucius wants something more than glory or freedom: revenge for his dead wife (Yuval Gonen).

If the plot of Gladiator II sounds similar to that of Gladiator, that was probably by design. It seems Ridley Scott didn’t want to reinvent the wheel too much, and I suppose a sequel that retains the name of its predecessor has to be about the gladiatorial arena to some degree. But it’s not so similar that it’s essentially a remake despite having many of the same plot elements, and that works in its favor. I was surprised at how I wasn’t able to predict every beat of Gladiator II at the offset (although as it goes along, you get a better sense of what will happen). Part of that is because the plot is busy, with various threads weaved throughout. There are plots against the throne, long cons to gain status, familial conflicts in several families, and growing resentment among the Roman people, and it gets a bit cluttered. There were several threads like this in Gladiator as well, but those all involved Maximus to some degree, whereas for a long time, several of the one in Gladiator II have little to nothing to do with Lucius.

That’s a mixed bag because Lucius isn’t much of a character. He isn’t nearly as compelling as Maximus, never as complex or multifaceted. He exists to be a single-minded avenger until, suddenly, he’s not, and his arc doesn’t build so much as it just kind of happens because the script demands it. You know Anakin’s heel-turn in Revenge of the Sith? It’s like that, only there’s less build. It doesn’t help that Paul Mescal doesn’t have the charisma or screen presence of Russell Crowe. He’s fine as Lucius, and it’s fair to note that he doesn’t have as good a role as Crowe did, but he’s just kind of there, like a seat filler at the Oscars taking the place of a star. Russell Crowe was only on the cusp of fame when Gladiator came along, but he was able to share the screen with guys like Richard Harris and Oliver Reed and still own the scene. When you put Paul Mescal opposite Pedro Pascal or especially Denzel Washington, he shrinks.

The supporting cast fares better, and that’s why having Lucius absent for certain stretches isn’t as bad as it could have been. Pedro Pascal is so ubiquitous now that it’s easy to forget he’s a really good actor, and he imbues General Acacius with a ton of soul; he’s a proud soldier who loves Rome, but he despises what it’s become under the rule of two corrupt thieves, and his sorrow at the necessity of death in the battles he wages fuels his every word and gesture. And Denzel Washington steals the movie as Marcinus, using his immense charm to his advantage to portray a deceiver who gets people’s trust by making them like him. His true intentions are a mystery until late in the film, and there is always a slight hint of ill intent in his friendly smile and ingratiating conviviality. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger sell the vanity of their flamboyantly hedonistic twin emperors, dancing and fornicating as Rome starves more so than fiddling while it burns. Connie Nielsen returns from Gladiator as Lucilla, Lucius’ mother, and she’s okay; the character is bland this time, despite technically having a decent amount to do, and her interactions with Lucius are fast-tracked to a conclusion that doesn’t feel natural. Derek Jacobi is also back as a Roman senator, and he’s essentially background noise.

Where Gladiator II entertains is in its battle scenes. The opening invasion of Numidia is a violent demonstration of Rome’s power and the hopelessness of opposing its forces, while the gladiatorial games have plenty of bloodletting and hack-and-slash excitement. They’re not as involving or rewarding as the ones in Gladiator, but I appreciated that the sequel tried to make them different with some neat staging and new dangers for Lucius and his fellow gladiators to overcome. An early one involving a certain type of animal is one of those movie fights that make you wince as you imagine what it would feel like to get bitten or clawed by those damn things. And speaking of the animals, the CGI is quite good, which I didn’t expect. Digital effects have felt like they’ve been on a downward trend over the last few years, but the animals in Gladiator II mostly look real; apparently, Paramount sunk an awful lot of money into this film, which was probably ill-advised, but at least you can see where it went (aside from Denzel Washington’s bank account).

And ultimately, that’s what Gladiator II is: spectacle with very little soul. It’s worth a watch if you want a bloody good time at the movies this weekend and not much more, and it certainly could have been a lot worse. But there’s no way it will resonate like Gladiator did, and it’ll likely be forgotten in a few months.

Let us know what you thought of Gladiator II in the comments!

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