'Gladiator II' Movie Review: Entertaining? Yes. But Riddled with Flaws.

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As a devoted fan of the original Gladiator movie, I eagerly awaited its sequel, Gladiator II, ever since it was first announced. I was hopeful for a sequel that could capture the epic grandeur of its predecessor. (Even though that’s something we rarely see with sequels – especially on this scale.) While the film delivers on spectacle, it lacks the cohesiveness between pacing problems, wild assumptions about history, and issues with the script.

Directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator II attempts to revive the tale of power, intrigue, and retribution set in Ancient Rome. Nearly two decades after the fall of the legendary hero Maximus (played by Russell Crowe in the original film), Lucius (Paul Mescal) finds his world shattered as tyranny grips Rome. Conscripted into the savage arena, Lucius confronts his destiny. Driven by his desire for justice and a chance to restore Rome’s glory and seek revenge, he draws strength from his past while knowing that the fate of the empire is hanging in the balance – and depending on him.

Check out the trailer below.

Gladiator II Movie Trailer

Gladiator II Movie Review: What I Did and Didn’t Like

Let’s start with my biggest gripe: sharks in the Colosseum. While Ridley Scott defends this choice, claiming it happened in numerous interviews (though with smaller sharks), it snapped me out of the story. Even with historical accounts of sea battles in the Colosseum, using sharks just stretches credibility thin. Crocodiles or even hippos would have felt more authentic (Though, in transparency, I’ve not done a deep dive into this to know if those creatures were ever present either – I’m just stating that it would have felt less jolting and not laughable to me like giant sharks).

The Story

Sharks were not the only issue I had with the film; the pacing was erratic, with scenes jumping from one emotional extreme to the next without giving viewers time to engage with the characters’ journeys. There’s a moment of forgiveness that comes in the film that seems almost out of nowhere. We didn’t go on that emotional journey with the character to get there and finally be okay with everything this character endured. (I am trying to stay spoiler-free here, you guys)

The plot echoes with themes of vengeance and redemption but feels muddled at times. As Lucius ventures into the world of gladiatorial combat to challenge Marcus Acacius and the corrupt leaders of Rome, the script loses focus, feeling more like a soap opera with gladiator battles. The screenplay struggles to maintain the emotional weight needed to make us truly empathize with the characters’ struggles.

The Acting

Despite the script’s shortcomings, the acting is solid. Despite being a villain, Denzel Washington as Macrinus is a joy to watch; his charisma and nuanced performance inject such life into his character. He also brought a considerable amount of unexpected humor to the screen.

Pedro Pascal also delivers a great performance as Marcus Acacius. And Paul Mescal, while not as commanding on-screen as Russell Crowe was in the original, still manages to charm the audience and have us cheering for him…

Peter Mensah’s presence adds a nice touch (I’m such a fan of his), invoking memories of his iconic role in 300. Yet his character deserved more screen time to explore his influence on Lucius fully.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, while still a stunning film, with the haunting score of the first movie present and causing chills, I just wasn’t as impressed as I hoped to be with this title. Was I entertained? Yes. But it’s not the contender for Best Picture of the year that I was hoping it would be.