By Seth Lukas Hynes
Gladiator II
Starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal
M
4/5
Directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator II is an excellent sequel to Scott’s 2000 historical action epic.
After his home city is conquered, Lucius (Paul Mescal), son of Maximus from the first film, is sold into slavery and becomes a gladiator.
Gladiator II’s plot follows most of the same beats as the first film, but distinguishes itself with an invigorating current of idealism, corruption and scheming (and so brings more new ideas to the table than Alien: Romulus, 2024’s other Ridley Scott sequel).
Mescal is both formidable and sensitive as Lucius, Denzel Washington steals the show as Macrinus, Lucius’s flamboyant, Machiavellian master, and Pedro Pascal is deeply engaging as Acacius, a noble Roman general tired of serving tyrants.
The sequel does a better job than the first film of showing the people’s distrust of their corrupt leaders, in this case the detestable twin emperors Caracalla and Geta, and Lucius’s journey as a star gladiator is the focal point of a well-woven web of intrigue.
Call me crazy, but I find the action in the first Gladiator unsatisfying: it’s bloody and tense, but often choppy and shot too close.
Gladiator II’s action is an immense improvement, with wider shots, fewer cuts and grander, more creative staging (including a phenomenal naval battle inside the Coliseum).
Gladiator II does seem stylistically slightly toned-down from the first film, though, with the first film’s rival gladiators having an almost Mad Max-like aesthetic (and where the original has some odd editing, II
has some annoying shaky camerawork).
Gladiator II is arguably more of a soft reboot than a sequel, but offers richer character writing and political conflict, with Washington as the fun villain centrepiece, and is a compelling, visceral thrill-ride playing in most Victorian cinemas.
