Gladiator II: The BRWC Review. By Daniel Rester.

Ridley Scott, who is about to turn 87, is still able to deliver old-fashioned, muscular epics. His latest is Gladiator II, a legacy sequel to his Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator (2000). That film remains influential and beloved by many to this day. The sequel doesn’t have the same grit and soul as the Russell Crowe-starring original, but it still has enough craftsmanship and excitement to make it a solid follow-up. 

Rising star Paul Mescal leads Gladiator II as Hanno, with the story taking place about sixteen years after the original film. Hanno farms with his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) in Numidia. After Numidia is attacked by Roman forces led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), Hanno is taken prisoner and brought to Rome. 

The grand city is now controlled by emperor brothers Geta (Joseph Quinn, excellent) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger,  less impactful), who seek to control even more territory. They arrange gladiatorial games in the Colosseum to celebrate Acacius’ victories, though the general secretly plots against the rulers. Hanno, meanwhile, is controlled by Macrinus (Denzel Washington) and trained to fight as a gladiator.

Screenwriter David Scarpa, who also penned the scripts for Scott’s films All the Money in the World (2017) and Napoleon (2023), mostly sticks to a formulaic monomyth as Hanno transforms into a Maximus-like hero in the arena. Scarpa finds easy and contrived ways to link Hanno to the original film, especially once returning character Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) recognizes him. The narrative hits more entertaining beats when it focuses on the two new emperors and Macrinus, a trio of scheming antagonists. The screenplay’s dialogue has a few rah-rah sections, but little of it has the quotable rhetoric that Gladiator has. 

Though the script only offers a few real surprises, Scott elevates the film from feeling too cookie-cutter and makes everything look and sound awesome. His world-building abilities remain exceptional, with Rome feeling completely alive here. From the main cast members down to extras playing homeless people, Scott knows how to capture his actors in visually striking ways. He is of course greatly assisted by production designer Arthur Max and costume designer Janty Yates in making scenes and characters pop; Washington especially gets to dazzle in various colorful robes.

The action scenes are mostly mammoth and vigorous, shot with myriad angles by cinematographer John Mathieson and cut with energy by editors Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo. The blood and sweat of the fighters almost feel like they could drip out of the screen. Scott also allows time to show many nuanced facial expressions from people witnessing the violence on display. Only the CGI for some of the animals during the battles is unconvincing, with baboons, sharks, and a rhino looking cartoonish. 

Mescal’s choices shift between intriguing and flat. Gladiator II is his first “movie star” opportunity as he has stuck to indie films and television so far. The actor does fine enough as he tries to make Hanno more complex than what Scarpa has offered on the page. He’s no Crowe though. 

Better is Washington, who steals scenes left and right. The veteran makes eccentric and almost flamboyant choices throughout. It’s a delicious villain performance, and a riskier film might have pushed him as the main character. A scene involving him and someone’s decapitated head is one of the more memorable cinematic moments this year. 

Gladiator II won’t have the lasting power of Gladiator. It’s a well-made and very entertaining sequel, but it’s chained to a hackneyed script. Scott proves that he still has the directorial expertise to turn average scripts into above-average movies though.

Rating: 8/10

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