Rent Gladiator II (2024)

A rip-roaring, adrenaline-pumping delight with incredible action & brilliant performances - Gladiator II review by TB

Gladiator was in many ways a cultural behemoth, transforming the cinematic landscape & electrifying the sword & sandals genre. With an Oscar-winning performance from Russell Crowe, inspired direction from Ridley Scott & a now-iconic soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, it will forever be a classic. For years there was talk of a sequel, with some occasionally crackers ideas floated about, but never amounted to anything.

But, after years of development hell, we now have Gladiator 2. And boy was it worth the wait.

What stands out for me, more than anything, is just how much old school fun there is to have with this film. The action scenes in particular are incredible, with brutal combat & bone-crunchingly violent battles. Whether it is a fight to the death in a Roman palace which ends up destroying half the room, or a full-on showdown in the Colosseum, you sit in open-mouthed wonder & giddy joy at the spectacle in front of you.

The story takes many cues from the 1st film, but also is very much it's own beast. The story of Lucius (the young boy from the previous movie,) it follows his life from his evacuation from Rome/separation from his mother, then his capture in battle defending his new home, through to being sold into slavery & his part in the meltdown of the last days of the Roman Empire.

The other factor that makes this film soar is the incredible cast. Paul Mescal is someone who, despite the acclaim from previous roles, never really resonated with me. I was also skeptical as to whether he could have the same impact as Crowe did (although I always reserve judgement until I see the finished film.) In this, he is revelatory, effortlessly taking the role on & making Lucius a compelling man & someone you root for every step of the way. I can see why Scott cast him after a brief video call.

However, despite all the other excellent performances (I have a limited amount of words I can write, so won't go into them,) the common consensus is this is Denzel Washington's film. Macrinus is everything you could ever want from a film character, especially one who immerses himself not only in the brutality of buying gladiators to fight to the death, but also Roman politics as well. Covered in rings & jewellery, swathered in outrageous gold robes & openly bisexual, Washington is clearly having the time of his life. After recent roles playing serious & emotionally scarred men, it is great to be reminded just how well Denzel can transcend through any genre you throw at him.

As the story unfolds, we as the audience are treated to not only the brilliant action but also the small moments too. The quiet opening of Lucius with his wife leading their simple life before that is shattered, through to frantic secret political meetings as power is fought for. This film is also one which does not shy away from protecting characters, whoever they may be. Everyone here is fair game.

When it comes to production, we are spoilt as an audience. The fight choreography is absolutely fantastic, brutal & violent. The cinematography beautiful & the locations amazing. The soundtrack, with Harry Gregson-Williams taking over, blends the themes of the old with the new. I was able to watch this in IMAX, which took everything to the next level.

And at the center of all of this, is Ridley Scott. Despite some misfires (I cannot believe this is written by the same man who wrote the fairly dreadful Napoleon, again directed by Scott,) with this film he once again proves why he is one of the best directors working today, without question. At 86, the energy, power & adrenaline he puts into every second on screen is inspiring. He takes us on a brutal & emotional saga, never losing us with long boring scenes (which these sorts of films frequently collapse into.)

See this and be reminded of the power of film & storytelling, by one of our best.

Visually Spectacular Sword & Sandal Sequel - Gladiator II review by GI

A belated sequel to the ever popular Gladiator (2000) and one could argue it's almost a remake. Ridley Scott delivers a customary epically structured, visually spectacular and exciting sword and sandal action film with more bloody violence and some borderline ridiculous set pieces. There is definitely a need to resist stopping and thinking about aspects of this film and just go with it where it'll constantly entertain you and at times make you gasp with the shock of it. The storyline is roughly the same as the original but here we follow Lucius (Paul Mescal), who was the son of Connie Neilsen's Lucilla in the original and was apparently sent away after the events of first film and has grown up a happy chappy in Africa. That is until the Romans come along and invade, kill his wife, sell him into slavery where he becomes a gladiator under Macrinus (Denzel Washington). Once in Rome he becomes the star of the show all the time vowing vengeance on the General who killed his wife. But this General (Pedro Pascal) is the lover of Lucius' mother and happens not to be a total bad guy after all. Anyway this cues various plots and conspiracies to overthrow the weird and depraved twin emperors. Into this mix there's gladiatorial battles with rabid baboons that resemble the space monkeys in Ad Astra (2019), an enormous rhino and even a sea battle with sharks that is recreated in the arena! This last being one sequence it's best not to overly think about! Mescal handles the action adeptly although some of the heroic speeches lack the gravitas that Russell Crowe brought to Gladiator. Washington is marvellous and arguably the best thing about the film and it's his character that sort of drives the main plot. This is a high energy, colourful and typical Scott extravaganza. It's always tempting to compare to the original and this isn't near as interesting as that film but it's still a cinematic experience that's worth the price of a ticket to see on the biggest screen you can.