Making a sequel to the cultural behemoth that was Gladiator would always seem to be a risky proposition. That film won a bunch of Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe and seems to be pretty much beloved by critics and audiences alike. Does this legacy sequel live up to the original film? No, of course not, but it's still a damn good time all the same.
Set sixteen years after the events of the first film, Lucius (played by Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus and Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen), is living in exile under an alias with his wife Arishat (played by Yuval Gonen). When their city is invaded by the Roman Army led by General Marcus Acacius (played by Pedro Pascal), Arishat is killed in the ensuing battle and Lucius is forced into slavery. Put forth as someone with potential as a gladiator, Lucius catches the eye of Macrinus (played by Denzel Washington). Initially resistant to becoming a gladiator, Lucius changes his mind when Macrinus promises to get him the chance to get his vengeance against Acacius for the death of his wife. What Lucius doesn't know though is that although Acacius returns to Rome as a hero, he has grown weary of warfare and the ambitions of the corrupt twin Emperors Geta (played by Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (played by Fred Hechinger) who are willing to sacrifice so many other lives to conquer other countries and grow their empire. Instead, along with his wife Lucilla, conspires to overthrow the Emperors and restore the Roman Republic. In the background, Macrinus is doing his own conspiring for his own gain, looking to capture the throne for himself.
Ridley Scott returns to direct this time from a script by David Scarpa. The film does repeat some of the same plot points of the original film, primarily with the heroic gladiator, in this case Lucius, seeking vengeance for the death of a loved one. In that regard the film does indeed feel very familiar. However, the filmmakers add enough new complications to the story to not feel entirely like a tired retread of the first film. The filmmakers also raise the stakes in terms of the gladiator fights, including them facing off a horde of feral baboons, a gladiator riding a huge rhino, as well as the biggest set piece, a recreation of a naval battle in a flooded Coliseum complete with sharks! These sequences push the limits of plausibility with their outrageousness, but then again Ridley Scott has made it abundantly clear throughout his filmography that he won't let something as pesky as historical accuracy get in the way of pure entertainment and he accomplishes that in spades here. They also handle the political intrigue in the film well, with the different parties conspiring and plotting while Rome teeters on the edge of complete downfall that kept me engaged as I wondered how it would all turn out.
Paul Mescal leads a star studded cast as a grown up Lucius, who was played by Spencer Treat Clark in the first film. Mescal wisely doesn't try to replicate what Russell Crowe did in the first film, which makes sense since they are playing completely different characters. His character is much more soft spoken and driven by his need for revenge with a certain seething anger that drives him but also blinds him from the bigger picture of what is going on. Pedro Pascal is great as Marcus Acacius, showing how disenchanted he has become with Military life, questioning the pain and misery he has created at the whims of the deranged Emperors. It adds some layers to the film as well as he tries to rectify his past mistakes and take a stand, even proving as a possible ally to Lucius. Connie Nielson reprises her role from the first film, portraying an older and more world weary Lucilla who sent her only son away to protect him from political assassins since Lucius would be the successor for the throne after the death of Commodus in the previous film. Nielsen plays the role with a grounded authenticity as a mother trying to help her son in any way she can. However, it is Denzel Washington that really steals the show as the scheming Macrinus. The way he manipulates and maneuvers throughout the plot to meet his own ends is devilish fun to watch and Washington is clearly having a lot of fun in the role too. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are also clearly having fun playing the twin Emperors, coming off as psychopathic spoiled brats who revel in indulging their every whim as they try to carve out their own legacy by conquering as much of the world as they can.
Much like the original film, Gladiator II excels at being superior popcorn entertainment. It has action, thrills, and melodrama to spare. The movie clocks in at two and a half hours and I didn't feel it at all. Is it a worthy successor to the first film? I think it is. I found it to be every bit as entertaining while being different enough to stand on its own. Now, I just need to figure out how the hell ancient Romans got sharks into the Coliseum.
