Gladiator II, the sequel to director Ridley Scott’s only Oscar-winning epic film, Gladiator (2000), feels more like a remake than a sequel despite its impressive execution, especially in the technical department; however, the addition of Denzel Washington’s character and his performance steals the show, making the film watchable and distinct from the original.
Gladiator II is set 16 years after the previous film’s events and follows Hanno (Paul Mescal), a North African soldier living in the small town of Numidia with his wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen). An invasion of the tranquil village by Roman soldiers under the command of General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) kills Arishat and captures Hanno, who is brought to Rome, where he will be sold into slavery to fight in the Colosseum. At this point, Rome is under the authority of two tyrannical brothers, Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), where corruption and brutality are prevalent. After witnessing Hanno’s fighting prowess, Macrinus (Denzel Washington) buys him and wants him to become one of his Gladiators. However, Hanno seeks vengeance on Acacius, whereas Acacius aims to topple the oppressive rule by launching a coup with the help of his wife, Lucilla (Connie Nielson).
Gladiator II bears many parallels with its predecessor in terms of the plot and some of the characters. For example, the protagonists’ storylines in both films are identical: they suffer the loss of loved ones, become slaves, and eventually become gladiators, all while being consumed by vengeance. Lucilla faces the same conflict in both films: trying to acquire the trust of estranged men, Maximus in the first and Hanno in the second. Moreover, just like in the first film, which featured Juba (played by Djimon Hounsou) as the protagonist’s closest friend and confidant, Gladiator II has a character who becomes close to the protagonist—Alexander Karim’s Ravi—an Indian man who was a gladiator in the past but now chooses to remain in this hellhole to help heal the wounded slaves.
Finally, in the original film, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) serves as the primary antagonist. He is a complicated and nuanced figure who is both power-hungry and paranoid, eventually descending into insanity. Phoenix absolutely kills it as Commodus and ends up being the standout performer in the film, even surpassing Russell Crowe. To counter that, Scott introduces two unhinged characters—the brothers Caracalla and Geta—in the sequel, who are responsible for Rome’s descent into despotism and corruption throughout their reign. Unfortunately, their characters come across as buffoons and idiots as compared to the menacing and intimidating person that Commodus was, making them less compelling.
Beyond the apparent character similarities, Gladiator II also takes emotional cues from the first film. As a result, the film lacks emotional depth and resonance. Only in Hanno’s interactions with Ravi do we witness any genuine rapport; in these moments, Hanno is at his most vulnerable, and his innermost feelings come to the forefront. They have a sweet, charming, and humorous friendship that is one of the film’s highlights.
Though the plot is repetitive, the film’s tight screenplay and swift story progression keep you invested; crucial revelations are made at the right time, and the stakes keep rising as the film proceeds. The film strikes a good mix of action and intriguing politics behind the scenes. On the one hand, Hanno seeks vengeance for the loss of his wife. Then there’s Acacius, who has had enough of the two brothers’ tyranny and intends to overturn the government with the assistance of his wife, Lucilla, and by gaining the trust of the senators. Finally, there’s Macrinus, playing his own game with hidden motives. The film comes to life in the second act when Macrinus’ character gains prominence. The character is multi-faceted and exciting; as a former slave who now desires global dominion, Macrinus adds spice to the political climate in Rome and makes for a more riveting and thrilling drama.
Gladiator II also impresses with its bigger, bolder action set pieces, which are more ambitious than its predecessors. Here, you’ll see gladiators having a face-off in a fierce battle with a rival gladiator atop a rhino, battle aggressive monkeys (with rather bad CGI of the monkeys), and then engage in a water fighting sequence within the Colosseum, which is filled with water and inhabited by sharks. Scott keeps us hooked and intrigued with plenty of thrills, violence, swordplay, and swashbuckling. Additionally, Ridley Scott showcases Ancient Rome in all its splendor and decay through lavish production design, which focuses on the pervasive corruption and inequality that plague the city while the affluent live lavishly off of the poor and are exploited by them.
Though he tries, Paul Mescal’s performance falls short and fails to impress. This might not be entirely his fault, as his character is written similarly to Russell Crowe’s Maximus from Gladiator. As a result, Mescal lacks the charisma and intensity that made Crowe’s performance memorable. Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of Acacius, a Roman army commander, is complex and layered; on the one hand, he wants to end the pointless wars fought for the dictatorial brothers; on the other, he is seen as the villain by Hanno for carrying out these wars, which led to the deaths of innocent people (including Hanno’s wife).
Gladiator II belongs to Denzel Washington, without whom the film would have been a complete dud and an awful remake of the original. As the charismatic master manipulator Macrinus—who is ambitious, cunning, greedy, ruthless, and hilarious—Denzel delivers a stellar performance. He absolutely owns the latter half of the film, bringing originality and embodying everything that distinguishes it from the first film.
Gladiator 2 movie links: Letterboxd, Wikipedia
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