Directed By Ridley Scott

Starring – Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal

The Plot – After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius (Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Rated R for strong bloody violence

Gladiator II | New Trailer (2024 Movie) – Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Ridley Scott

POSITIVES

Rome has clearly been on the mind of Ridley Scott for 24 years, and while the wait to the sequel of the Best Picture winner of 2000 has been a tumultuously documented one, with ups and downs for the behind the scenes production, he’s seamlessly remastered the scope and scale of this epically immersive story, with top tier production values amidst an impressively unattainable 250 million dollar budget shining upon the titanic presentation of the film that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen. If you’re worried about the same kind of amplified suspense and enveloping terror that catapulted the original film’s atmospheric rendering finding its way over to this sequel, then fear not, because the intricacies and boldness of the sound design help breed an inescapable urgency that pays these intense action sequences off accordingly, with thunderously roaring cheers of the blood-thirsty crowds and thorough definition of the slicing of swords, and when combined with the attention to accuracy of everything from the costumes, set decoration and immensity of the coliseum, maintains the best elements of consistency with that original chapter to make this feel like a fully realized sequel taking shape in the same universe, with an enhanced dependency on brutality that unflinchingly takes advantage of every inch of its R-rating. Despite the editing schemes still feeling a bit too forcefully frantic for my own personal tastes, the action set pieces attain a conceptual versatility that keeps so many of these sequences fresh with spontaneity, all without the Scott-heavy trope of slow motion photography that has unfortunately plagued so many of his films over the last twenty years with frequent stalling to surmise clarity. The fight choreography here isn’t over stylized with surreal motions or psychological intuitions, instead feeling far more personal to the grinding of physical conflicts persisting between clashing characters, and with some unforeseen uses in practical-heavy special effects resulting in the occasional flying limb and gorging blood, the audience are able to feel every blow to the devastation, without the need for artificiality that squanders the artistic merit of a locked-in production firing on all cylinders. In terms of the storytelling, the one major improvement of this film to its predecessor is in the consistency of its pacing throughout a 135-minute run time that rarely slows down to dive deep into a dynamic, instead maintaining a full-fledged urgency within the many aforementioned set pieces, where it spends a bulk of its time burning the minutes that casually fly by. This is especially the case with the film’s first act, which feels like the only section of the script not preoccupied with forcefully tying itself to its predecessor, but even during the inferior sections of the engagement, scenes simply refused to linger for too long in sacrificial ways towards the movie’s long-term momentum, with picture perfect editing within this finished product, with little to no excessive fat that could’ve and should’ve been trimmed for a more compelling cut of this secondary chapter. While many of my problems with the movie pertain to the overwhelming similarities of its predecessor, themes involving power lust and forgiveness take it in refreshingly original directions that leave the most lasting impact of everything contained, with Scott’s most passionate direction since ‘The Martian’ helping to bring this soap opera of greed and familial traumas to life, with intersecting roads of inevitability between these characters that always catches up to every dishonorable deed committed in the shadows. While ‘Gladiator II’ might not fully evade the idea of being a superfluous sequel that depends heavily on the nostalgic vulnerabilities of its audience, Scott’s involvement in such keeps it on the respectable side of spirited successors that are somehow able to expand upon the world-building of the established setting without truly sacrificing the integrity of its predecessor, resulting in a best case scenario for this sequel that succeeds with very little cast or characters from its previous installment. Following the leads of Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix is a daunting task, however Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington do a suitable job bringing to life two compelling characters with intuitive psychology over their portrayals, resulting in two performances that won’t exactly earn award nominations, but the kind that are unforgettable all the same. Mescal’s meticulous intensity reserving itself for those tender moments absorbing love and loss speak wonders to the internal agony of the character, with an equally appealing commitment to physicality believably articulated from Mescal’s time as a high school athlete. Likewise, Washington’s undeterred screen presence and radiant charisma allows him to devour the scenery with the insatiable hunger of a carnivore at a meat processing plant, with a crookedly devilish smile and intoxicating demeanor that unmistakably illustrates the fun in a role that feels written especially for Denzel in mind.

NEGATIVES

Some sequels attain a spirited debate with their predecessors that ultimately divide their fandom, but ‘Gladiator II’ won’t have such an issue, as this is an obvious step down in quality that begins immediately in the confines of a script too derivative with familiarity in its structure. There will always be obvious similarities with two movies set in the same universe and surrounding power struggle, however the overwhelming majority of this general script outline has it feeling like more of a remake or reimagining than a succeeding continuance, which ultimately underscored the unpredictability involving a fresh story with new characters contained in the film. The second half of the movie does slightly deviate on this intention with abrupt character shifts that divulge into one compelling climax, but the overwhelming sense of deja vu within the opening half will inevitably have audiences feeling like they’ve seen this story play out before, and in ways that are all the more impactful with less campiness to the tone, and more focus to less characters, which is an issue in itself to this film’s diminished quality. Because the script contains so many characters involving various arcs of their own, there’s a sense of disjointedness to the film’s initial first few beats, as it hops from one arc to the next, and in the case of Lucius, our primary protagonist, a dramatic underwriting towards his characterization and emotional heft that ultimately kept me from fully investing to the character. While there’s nothing or nobody that I would cut from the finished product, I do feel there was a grave mismanagement for time allowance that altered the film’s path to prominence, especially with some unnecessary retconning of previous establishing that reeked of desperation to continuously remind us of this film’s connective tissue to the first movie. Finally, I’m not saying this to be unprofessional, as I love this composer’s work over his prestigious career, but Harry Gregson-Williams is no substitute for Hans Zimmer, especially in following one of Zimmer’s most distinguished series of compositions that earned him an Oscar. Gregson-Williams’ work here is fine enough for how it scores these sequences, but there’s no room for speculative dimensions to tones that are so on-the-nose with apparency, made worse with instrumental and vocalized reminders of previous Zimmer tracks that it incorporates during similarly executed sequences from that previous film. Zimmer’s immensity for the epic perfectly elevated the dramatic intensity that Ridley commanded, and the lack of such here is the single biggest glaring inferiority between the two films, which feels like wrong place and time for someone as accomplished as Gregson-Williams.

OVERALL
‘Gladiator II’ is an acceptably entertaining sequel to 2000’s best picture, even if it pales in comparison to an originally superior effort that it is constantly living in the shadows of. Between Ridley Scott’s most impactful direction in years, breathtaking production values eliciting the epic scope and scale of coliseum clashing, and the effortful performances of the distinguished ensemble, the film justifies the existence of experiencing the spectacle of this world once more, even if its familiar story beats are ultimately marred by derivative outlines that swing a bit too close to comfortability to feel original or elevating.

My Grade: 7/10 or C+