REVIEW #420 Gladiator 2 (2024)

Gladiator II (2024)

SYNOPSIS 

Rome has fallen into the hands of tyranny yet again, leading to Lucius entering the colosseum and fighting for his freedom and revenge. 

THE REVIEW

Gladiator 2 is a worthy sequel, paying homage to the original whilst acting as a natural continuation. Parts of the film can feel very similar at times but the action is entertaining and it also has plenty of emotional notes that’ll have you invested in the characters and the story, pretty early on in the movie. The sheer scale of the film is impressive in itself and it reaps the benefits of utilising real film sets such as a replica colosseum and a wooden amphitheater, contributing to the immersion and the sense of realism. That being said, that’s partly ruined by one of the characters having a literal newspaper, roughly 1000 years before the creation of the print press! I know some people will say ‘it’s a fictional film’ but it’s the small details that matter! In typical Ridley Scott fashion, the cinematography is impressive, with fluid and well shot action sequences and large set pieces that were a spectacle to witness in IMAX. 

Now the pressure was on Paul Mescal to live up to the greatness of Maximus, left behind by Russel Crowe and he did well! But for me, the standout was Denzel Washington who absolutely stole the show with his devious portrayal of Macrinus. The character just added so much depth to the movie and provided that separating factor that distinguishes the sequel from the original. I wouldn’t be surprised to see lots of nominations for Denzel during award season. Like I mentioned earlier, the storyline contains a lot of similarities to the first movie, the emperors have a similar villainous energy, there’s certain plot points that are pretty much mirrored and although that didn’t necessarily make me enjoy it any less, it does leave parts feeling repetitive and that has effected my final rating for sure. Lots of people said a sequel wasn’t needed and maybe they’re right, but I for one was happy to revisit this world and see this incredibly talented group of actors, continue the story.

Overall (8/10)

Thanks for reading.

Callan