I remember 25 years ago how excited I was when I walked out of Gladiator. I was blown away by how impressive everything looked and sounded. The performances from both Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix were fantastic. It remains one of my favorite films of all time to this very day. When I heard there was going to be a sequel to such an iconic film as you’d imagine I was quite skeptical, to say the least.  I went in with arms and eyes wide open and I’m here to say I was quite entertained by Gladiator II. This lived up to its predecessor quite nicely.

The Roman Navy led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) is about to attack the African city of Numidia. This is a brutal bloody battle with many lives lost. Including that of the wife of a citizen of the city. He fights as hard as he can but gets knocked out and later captured by the Roman soldier and sold into slavery. He is bought by a very flamboyant, confident MacManus (Denzel Washington). He sees something in the Numidian right away after his first fight. The silent yet strong-willed man refuses to fight unless he has to, for his life.  With the opportunity to make money and influence senators and the twin Emperors, Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger) he brings his newfound Gladiator to Rome to fight in front of the thousands of people in the Colosseum. Little does he know there is more to this quite yet determined man. A big secret lies in his head only one other knows. His entire legacy depends on it.

Ridley Scott takes everything that was great about the first Gladiator and ranks it up tenfold for this equally impressive sequel nobody including myself wanted, but when I saw it I was absolutely thrilled film fans and myself got it. It’s grand in scale like the first one was. The fight scenes packed a wallop. I felt like I was being hit by the swords, exes, and fists that were being thrown repeatedly by the men in the Colosseum and battles. The Sound was incredible throughout the IMAX experience I saw the movie in. The words epic in scale are perfectly used to describe how big and grand this sequel was. Scott didn’t hold back on any level of filmmaking from the visual effects, or sound to the cinematography, score, or production design. This lived up to every possible expectation I could have had for this film. I was genuinely amazed when this movie was over. I wanted to see it again. 

Paul Mescal is an actor I’ve been watching ever since I saw him in Normal People in 2020. He had something special about him I couldn’t quite put my finger on until now. His breakout role in After Son gave him the ability to pick better and better roles. He was once again very good in All Of Us Stranger opposite Andrew Scott, but getting chosen to play the main character in a sequel to Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott is the big break he needed to launch his career into superstardom. He’s gained some muscle and weight in general to play this physical and very demanding role. He owns every scene he’s in and was the right choice for this role despite proof to the contrary. He becomes this character and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. He is worthy of Best Actor consideration for this performance. There was quite a lot that went into this character as I’m sure Mescal can attest. 

Denzel Washington worked with Ridley Scott on American Gangster as the king of the Harlem drug trade in the 70s as Frank Lucas. He knows what this great director is after. Washington has won a couple of Oscars for Glory and Training Day, but he may be up for another one for the slick sadistic shady but very ambitious businessman in this film. He knows how to rub elbows and win influence to get him what he wants. Washington has played villains before, but none like this man. He’s channeling a bit of Oliver Reed in the first Gladiator, but all the nuance, facial tics, and hand gestures are all from his stage acting. You can tell he is having a blast playing this despicable human being. I loved every minute of time he was on screen. He showed why he’s one of the best living actors today. I am continuously amazed by how great he is year after year. I’ll be sad to see him stop acting when his career is finished.

Besides Mescal and Washington, Scott has assembled an all-star cast of actors for this sequel. There were a few returning cast members like Derek Jacobi and Connie Neilson who reprised their roles as Senator Gracchus and Lucilla, Marcus Ariellus’s daughter. They were both nice callbacks to the original Gladiator. They tie these two films together in a way quite nicely. As mentioned, Pascal was the General. He was good, but a bit overshadowed by some of the other cast who were doing fantastic work. The two twin Emperors played by Quinn and Hechinger were funny at times and quite evil. I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle them. This cast was very good with Washington giving the best performance in his career in years. He’s definitely Academy Award-worthy here. You could tell he was enjoying every moment he was on screen as this evil man.

I saw this film in Dolby and I can honestly say it looked and sounded amazing. Scott brought every bit of the credit in the industry to help make this movie what it is. The score by Harry Gregson Williams is booming, the visual effects mixed with the production design look gorgeous.  I felt like I was back in ancient Rome watching all of these events take place. From the battle at the beginning to all the CGzi beasts in the Colosseum to the mob scenes I was completely immersed in this place and time. The technical aspects of this film are some of the best I’ve seen all year bar none. One thing is for sure Ridley Scott hasn’t forgotten how to make a big spectacle movie. This one proves that once again in spades.

Despite my trepidations, going in, Gladiator II is as ambitious and on par with the original film. From the Shakespearean storytelling to the grand spectacle of the battles and fight scenes in the Colosseum it is large and grandiose in every way possible. The acting by the entire cast from small roles to large everyone is doing their best work, especially Mescal and Washington. They brought everything I could have wanted and more out of themselves for these characters. They were both magnificent.  The scale of big-budget movie-making wasn’t lost on Scott. He used everything at his disposal to bring this sequel to existence.  Strength and honor aren’t just lines of dialogue spoken, they have a greater meaning. Suffice it to say I know it’s a cliche, but I was very much entertained by this film.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen