Gladiator II: Movie Review

Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Tim McInnery, Connie Nielsen
Director: Ridley Scott

It was always going to be a tricky proposition to follow 2000's Gladiator.

From its iconic action to a star-making turn from Russell Crowe as the lead to singular moments that have lasted, the idea of a sequel was perhaps always a little stymied before it made it to the screen.

So it's no surprise to say that while director Ridley Scott builds on the kind of vision more recently witnessed in Napoleon than perhaps on his 2000 effort, Gladiator II is lacking a little heft in the shadow of its own past.

When Paul Mescal's Lucius is captured after Rome's army sacks his North African province and kills his wife, he vows revenge on General Marcus Acacius (Pascal). But Lucius has to escape the confines of his jail via the Colosseum and the hordes of challengers facing him.

From CGI killer monkeys to a water-filled stadium teeming with sharks, it seems like the script of Gladiator II has gone too far the other way for its spectacle, losing sight of the level of intimacy that helped propel the first to iconic status.

Juggling a story about the corruption and fall of Rome along with the political machinations of Denzel Washington's Macrinus as well as destiny and heritage, Scott had a rich vein to mine. Yet somehow, the script fails to service the legacy while simultaneously failing to carve out a new story that measures up.

Mescal also inevitably suffers in comparison to Crowe, reduced to seething moments of rage without the bonus of well-written dialogue to support him. It was always going to be a tricky idea, but it's largely the fault of the script that Gladiator II won't rise from the shadows.

In terms of the Colosseum spectacle, the games lack none of the brutality of the past, even if the emotional edges fail to match up. It's more in keeping of reality, given how swift the action is and how quickly enemies are dispatched - but it does nothing to satiate those looking for vicarious pleasures to match the weaker edges.

The first film talked repeatedly of what was being done echoing in eternity.

But unfortunately, Gladiator II fails to even break free of the former's shadow - and while it's a perfectly serviceable, if overly long watch in parts, it can't help but feel disappointing.