Spoilers ahead.
Lucius, played by Paul Mescal, takes center stage in the “Gladiator” sequel, directed by Ridley Scott.
Years after witnessing the death of gladiator Maximus, played by Russell Crowe in the original movie, Lucius fights in the Colosseum as a prisoner of war. Lucius is out for revenge for Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal, who was the Roman general responsible for conquering his land and killing his wife – inciting a spark of rage within Lucius.
Throughout the film, Lucius fights his way through various gladiator battles and works towards his goal of revenge. This is all against the backdrop of deeper Roman politics, the fall of the empire and power struggles between different rulers.
Before watching this movie, you have to brush up on your original “Gladiator” knowledge. I made the mistake of watching the original movie over five years ago, and I showed up to the cinema hoping that all this knowledge would come back to me.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
The movie builds upon past developments in the first movie, and you’ll struggle to keep up with the plot if you don’t understand. Without understanding the first film, it’s difficult to follow the plot of the second.
In my eyes, a strong sequel is a standalone movie. Yes, it is possible to build upon past relationships and plot lines, but also the audience should be able to easily follow the plot without previously watching the prequel.
As for Mescal, It’s difficult to top Russell Crowe, as his emotional and multifaceted performance is impossible to replicate. Additionally, Mescal was given a bland script. Scott essentially handed him five cool fight scenes and minimal emotional scenes to work with.
After seeing Mescal’s work in “Aftersun,” it’s clear he has the acting chops to reveal a deeply emotional and impactful movie, however, the script gave him minimal time to breathe or show that side of him. This is not to say that Mescal delivered a bad performance, instead, the material was weak.
Denzel Washington was the real hero of the movie. I won’t be the first, nor the last, person to praise his acting skills. His intonation of specific words and his emphasis on certain syllabi proved just how talented he is in the art of theater. Although not the main focus of the film, he gave a stand-out performance.
Watching “Gladiator II” is like watching a Prince impersonator concert. It’s fun and something to fill your weekend. However, at the end of the day, it’s a tacky remake lacking emotional appeal, where you so desperately wish it was Prince — in this case Russell Crowe.
Without the hype of the original “Gladiator” or the Hollywood-stacked cast to draw audiences in, this would likely be a History Channel episode that your middle school teacher puts on the day before Christmas break. The marketing and the star-studded cast seriously worked in this movie’s favor.
All of this to say, this was a fun movie. The fight scenes were enthralling and action-packed. The Roman political plot was exciting, although it should be noted that a plot to overthrow the emperor(s) was done in the first film as well. I enjoyed the production design, the costumes and even the cinematography.
Who should watch this?
If your Roman Empire is actually the Roman Empire, this movie will be fun for you. Also if you want to spend two and a half hours looking at Paul Mescal in a tunic, your ticket is worth the price alone.
Rating: 3/5 stars
