Gladiator II review: Right from its opening battle sequence, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II grabs you by the collar to get your attention and refuses to let go. Even in its slow moments of exposition, the film commands it. Add in some spectacular battles, visually stunning sets and a host of powerful performances, and you’ve got a winner on your hands, don’t you think? Yes, almost! Despite its grandeur and finesse, Gladiator II suffers from the bar raised by Part 1. It remains unmemorable and fails to deliver the emotional highs and quotable lines that made part one such a cultural phenomenon. And that’s where Gladiator II fails, if I may use the term a little unkindly. (Also Read – Freedom at Midnight review: Nikkhil Advani’s sprawling, layered show is India’s answer to The Crown)

What is Gladiator II about?

Gladiator II is about Hanno (Paul Mescal), a Numidian soldier who hates Rome. After his wife was killed and he was captured in battle with General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), he promises to have his head. Forced to be a gladiator in the stable of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), Hanno becomes a crowd favorite, and it is soon revealed that he is the son of Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), making him an heir to the throne of Rome. Now opposing factions want to use him in their power grab against the twin emperors – Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger).

From the story to the background, Gladiator II fails to shake off comparisons from Part 1. Every character here seems to be a replacement for someone from Gladiator – Hanno for Maximus, Geta for Commodus, Lucilla for herself, and so on. The comparisons don’t help the film’s cause as it is a pretty good standalone film. On its own, Gladiator II is among the better films of 2024 – stunning to watch, entertaining, with good character arcs and effectively humanizing the politics of the time.

What works and what doesn’t

What works against Gladiator II in particular is that everything that makes the film good is a callback to the first. Whether it’s shots of Maximus in the arena, the score from Part 1’s climax, or Hanno slipping into a “in this life or the next” in one of his lines, the film’s best moments are evocative of its predecessors. It has nothing remarkable that can make it stand out on its own.

Still, despite that, Gladiator II isn’t a bad movie. It has a tight script that sometimes tends to overcomplicate things, but stays true to its cause. The characters are layered and the conflict seems real. It even allows for some misdirection, seeing Joseph Quinn’s Emperor Gato as the big bad even as Denzel lurks in the shadows. It does all that beautifully but also slips in some pretty big defiances of logic, where people can travel hundreds of miles in a few hours, and soldiers stand and watch as generals fight.

Gladiator II’s USP is its visual appeal. Rome and the Roman Empire have never looked more decadent. Scott evokes loathing for this rotting behemoth in every frame, filling us with the same anger that Hanno harbors for the city and its rulers. The games themselves are a step up from what we’ve seen so far, with Scott going all out to raise the bar in that department. Sure, historians may disagree with the use of sharks and baboons, but I don’t go to IMAX and watch a Ridley Scott movie for a history lesson.

The gray area where all the characters live makes Gladiator II more interesting than its predecessor. No one is really right here. Even Hanno, our protagonist, can get on your nerves for his hatred of General Acacius, a just man caught in an unjust role. But it’s Denzel who gets the most delicious role to play, and the veteran shows exactly what he’s made of, delivering the film’s standout performance. Pedro Pascal is not far behind either. However, Paul Mescal and Joseph Quinn suffer because their characters are reduced to Maximus-lite and Commodus-lite. The young actors are trying. But clearly the director chose fanservice over substance here.

To sum it up

Gladiator II is a great watch for anyone who hasn’t seen the first installment. More pompous, more spectacular and even more visceral than the first, this one steps it up a few notches in every department. But alas, the comparisons – clearly intended by the creators – drown it out. Ridley Scott also becomes the latest filmmaker to fall for Game of Thrones syndrome. He introduces the main characters and kills them off so casually so often in the film that it loses its novelty pretty quickly. Gladiator II is a film for its time, but not a film for all time.