Gladiator II Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Neilson, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger
Director: Ridley Scott
What’s Good: The gladiator fight sequences all the more because things go underwater this time, as well as performances, art direction, cinematography, background score, and nostalgia value from the original movie.
What’s Bad: Lack of interplay between the characters, a little more character development of some characters, or the establishment of the complex relationship between them would have been fruitful.
Loo Break: We wouldn’t recommend it because each moment is gripping, especially in the second half.
Watch or Not?: If you loved Ridley Scott’s 2000 version of this magnum opus, you will find the sequel as a befitting callback.
Language: English
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 148 Minutes
User Rating:
16 years after the death of Roman heroes Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russel Crowe), Rome has fallen into the reign of the twin emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Their rule is marked by tyranny, suffering, poverty, and bloodshed in Rome. Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Neilson), having been sent away by his mother for his protection at an early age has grown up to be a Numidian warrior having no contact with his mother. However, when his wife is killed by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) in a Roman invasion, Lucius’ destiny gets intertwined once again with his father’s, wherein he is captured as a slave by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a power hungry gladiator trainer and tradesman. Lucius soon realizes him becoming a gladiator to seek vengeance for his wife’s murder, and Numidia’s capture extends to a much greater purpose which is connected to his noble birth as the heir to Rome.
Gladiator II Movie Review: Script Analysis
One of the most emotionally endearing aspects of Gladiator II is that director Ridley Scott has managed to retain the nostalgic aspect of the 2000 film. The themes of duty, valor, love towards one’s country, family dynamics, and betrayals were explored intricately in the writing by Peter Craig and David Scarpa. The film does not waste time establishing Lucius’ transition from a man seeking a cold-blooded vengeance to a true son of Rome who wishes to fulfill his legacy of liberating the Romans from their suffering. In the backdrop of the deadly gladiator fights, the writing also focuses on the shrewd politics, power-play, and survival of the fittest also inside the Roman court. While the part one had Joaquin Pheonix’s Commudus showing an incessant greed, madness, and an incestuous lust, the twins fearfully transcend into complete insanity as they know that they will never win the love of the Romans compared to the likes of Marcus Aurelius, Maximus Decimus Meridius and Lucilla. We have a dilemma between duty and restoring humanity with Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius.
However, where the script could have been more nuanced if we had experienced a more crisp character development for a few characters especially of that of Macrinus. His thirst for power, politics and crawling his way up through betrayals and conspiracies could be established more powerfully through a backstory. Lucilla and Lucius’ scenes could have evoked more emotions. There was a certain lack of interplay between the characters, including the complex relations between the twins.
Gladiator II Movie Review: Star Performance
Paul Mescal breathes life into his character like a storm. He had huge shoes to fill of that of Russel Crowe’s, and he does his job well. He is deadly during the action sequences but is vulnerable during the emotionally high-octane scenes. Pedro Pascal is intense, and we actually see ourselves rooting for him as his character is torn between what is moral and immoral. However, he definitely deserved a little more screen time so that we could have discovered more layers to his character. However, Denzel Washington shines bright with his Gladiator II performance as the tricky and guileful Macrinus. We are left wondering about his next move as he shrouds himself in the web of politics, betrayals, conspiracies, and treacheries.
Connie Neilson perfectly reprises her role as Lucilla. She is the kind, dutiful, compassionate and headstrong daughter of Rome who demands our respect. Joseph Quinn does full justice to his role of that of an antagonist, with his performance sometimes being a callback to Joaquin Pheonix’s Commudus. However, he skilfully adds his own touch to the performance, which yields results. But it is Fred Hechinger as Caracalla who is absolutely mind-boggling, with his act transcending into lunacy, chaos, and delusion. There is never a dull moment with him on the screen. A special shoutout to Alexander Karim as Ravi who also displays a wonderful act.
Gladiator II Movie Review: Direction, Music
The execution and overall direction do full justice to Ridley Scott’s OG 2000 version. However, it is the gladiator fight sequences that are simply heart-thumping and promise to induce the right amount of goosebumps and awe. Watch out for the gladiator fights involving wild baboons or an ocean-themed fight with two warring ships and hungry sharps lurking below the water. Gladiator II itself starts off with an intricate battle in the sea between the Romans and the Numidians. The action set pieces are the heart and soul of this movie, and the film gets it right. The background score by Harry Gregson-Williams acts as a good catalyst to set the tone of the scenes. The costumes, art direction, and cinematography are simply top-notch, which is required for a project of this caliber.
Gladiator II Movie Review: The Last Word
Except for a few minor flaws, Gladiator II hits the right notes. If you have loved the 2000 OG film, you will definitely love this one too.