Gladiator II movie review: Ridley Scott's sequel is stirring but short of magnificent

A still from Gladiator 2

Film: Gladiator II
Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, May Calamawy
Director: Ridley Scott
Rating: 3.5
Runtime: 148 min

This sequel to Ridley Scott's landmark period spectacular is a great movie experience as a standalone. Written by David Scarpa ("Napoleon") and directed by an 86-year-old Scott who continues to blend Machiavelli, pageantry, and visual grandeur in epic proportions, this is a movie experience that is still top-notch (even if it does not match up to the much-vaunted original).

Twenty-four years ago, the slash-and-burn hyperviolent "Gladiator" which blended in Cecil De Mille's epic proportions with intensely engaging philosophies of warfare and romance while incorporating novel VFX was a near hypnotic experience and continues to be revered by most who have experienced it. "Gladiator II," may not become as well-loved but it is a wonderful experience nevertheless.

The entire film is centered around Paul Mescal as Hanno/Lucius whose voyage comes full circle when he enters the coliseum as a captive of Rome. The story here complements that of the original film and provides some fan service too. The credit sequence hearkens back to the original and lends the unschooled some idea of what took place 16 years before. Incidentally, Lucius Verus was sent away as a pre-teen, to a safe place in order for his life to be spared. It's not a surprise then to find him a descendant of Maximus.

In one of the dialogues, Lucius admits he does not have the strength of his father and the film plays strongly to that vein. Mescal is no Crowe. His Hanno/Lucius goes from commander to captive to gladiator not with contemplative raging hostility that Maximus displayed but with a fixated vengeance-led rage.

His rage is centered around General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) who ordered the killing of his wife Arishat(Yuval Gonen) at the battle for Numidia, and later on spreads to the rulers of Rome-- twin-brother emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), both extremely fey yet as vicious as Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) in their actions. Lucius Verus is also not shown as a swordsman. He is a wily fighter though and has experience as a commander of a small battalion of the Numidian army. Mescal doesn't possess Crowe's physicality nor does he exhibit Maximus' silent fury. The film sets him up as an unequal to Maximus and that's a good thing here. Mescal's Lucius is branded by nobility and therefore not as rugged and imposing as Maximus.

The narrative and character development are not as robust as the original. The script draws so many parallels between the new film and the old one that they begin to feel one and the same. There's no new dramatic thrust to speak of here. The storyline feels rushed, and some character arcs lack depth. Lucius' goalposts transition from revenge to saving the nation within a hair-breath. It felt as though the director and writer wanted to cram-in as many events as possible to make the narrative consequential.

The characters that work are pivotal to the telling of this tale. Connie Nielsen who returns from the original cast as Lucilla, the mother who sent Lucius away from Rome as a boy after the death of Maximus and Macrinus (Denzel Washington), the former gladiator who rises up to the post of second-in-command in Rome's power hierarchy. The wily ease with which Denzel tackles this role and the tremulous heart with which Nielsen establishes her pathos, lend the film quite a bite. Ravi (Alexander Karim), a soulful former slave and gladiator originally from India, who earned his freedom but chose to become a healer for the wounded combatants may not be an important character but he gets quite a bit of screen time and is impactful in helping put an end to the scheming and dealing in Rome.

Gladiator 2 uses CGI & practical effects to rousing affect. The neoclassical epic spread of brutal warfare, lavish Colosseum duels, stunning decapitations, and decadent palace intrigue is well served by it. The music score is a little overwhelming with way too many nostalgic callbacks for it not to sound similar to the original's score. The battle scenes are also quite spectacular. The cinematography, as in every Ridley Scott film is extraordinary. It's the story that falls short dependent as it is on contrivance and familiarity. Nevertheless, this sequel is still a highly enjoyable film and deserves to be seen in all its glory on the big screen!