Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi
Screenplay: David Scarpa
148 mins. Rated R for strong bloody violence.

In Gladiator, the character of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) said, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” 24 years later, that marvelous bit of dialogue has new meaning with Gladiator II, a long-awaited follow-up that still manages to further the legend of Maximus and his effect on the world through those that remember him in glorious fashion.

In the years since the original film, the now-adult Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal, Aftersun) is living with Numidia under a false name to protect his identity. When his home and life are destroyed by the Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), Lucius is taken into slavery where he fights as a gladiator for Macrinus (Denzel Washington, Training Day), a former slave turned politician, vying for control of Rome. Macrinus promises Lucius a chance to battle Acacius and exact his vengeance as long as he keeps fights for him.

“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” While watching Gladiator II, that line kept coming up, and the film feels like an echo in many ways. It begins very similarly to its predecessor, with Lucius being a powerful warrior who is taken into slavery and forced to be a gladiator. For the first act of the film, it feels very familiar, almost too much so. Just then, when I was feeling comfortable with the trajectory of the story, it veers into a different path, and from that point on I was enthralled with every twist and turn. There’s a sense of familiarity to Gladiator II that shocks when it zigs where the original zagged, and most of the alterations to this echo come from the wrinkle of Maximus’s words and legend. He’s remembered differently by all those whose lives he touched with his bravery and leadership. We know that history repeats itself, and that feels all the more realized in this sequel, where Maximus left his mark on the world, and now exists as an idea.

It was nice to see Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman) and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) return as Lucilla and Gracchus, and both are excellent and necessary ties to the original knowing that Russell Crowe would not be returning. There’s so much distance between these two films that I think it’s absolutely paramount that we have some strong ties to Gladiator, and these were nice touches, avoiding forced nostalgia, Both Nielsen and Jacobi easily stepped back into their characters for these welcome returns.

Denzel Washington is, unsurprisingly, the standout new character of the film. Personally, I didn’t expect him to have such an integral and consequential role in the film (though I shouldn’t be shocked, that’s why you get Denzel). Macrimus is an interesting and layered character because his background is like so many others in this world, and his goals, while somewhat shrouded in mystery, are quite understandable, and yet his character evolves and reveals the most pivotal changes of the film. It was mesmerizing to watch Washington’s craft on display.

Pedro Pascal’s Acacius fits nicely into this sequel, too. We’re intentionally given little nuggets of information about Acacius as the narrative builds, and it’s fascinating to watch as his intentions become more clear, and as the contentious plot works to evolve both Lucius and Acacius and the ever-approaching faceoff we know is coming. Pascal regularly plays good guys, but he has a natural ability to conceal his character that works so well with Acacius.

Notice I haven’t mentioned Lucius yet? That’s not an indictment on Paul Mescal, who finally takes on a major tentpole blockbuster for the first time, but the character of Lucius is just not extremely interesting when surrounded by the rest of the cast. Mescal is doing more with the character than Scarpa’s screenplay really gives him, but the character wasn’t that interesting in the original, and he’s not much more here. It seems like the Scarpa and Scott couldn’t decide whether or not we’re supposed to know if it’s Lucius or not, and the finished product plays rather coy, as if you’re supposed to know but also be shocked when it’s revealed.

While speaking on Scarpa’s screenplay, I should mention that this is his best work as a screenwriter, though it does feature a number of his regular faults. As in Napoleon, I feel like David Scarpa struggles in tonal shifts, especially pertaining to the sillier aspects of his storytelling. With Napoleon, the screenplay struggled to really showcase the titular conqueror’s more notorious and peculiar tendencies, and with Gladiator II, the script doesn’t know how to handle characters like Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger, Eighth Grade), a very silly character that doesn’t fit very well, tonally, with the more melodramatic sword and sandal epic. I can tell what Scarpa and Scott are going for with Caracalla, but Hechinger is just floundering trying to make the villain work. Gladiator was more high epic, melancholic, and dramatically resonant, whereas Gladiator II functions more like a blunt force object, with less flowery writing and more on-the-nose storytelling. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it highlights some of the less polished elements of this sequel.

Ridley Scott is on a victory lap, much like Sylvester Stallone, revisiting his classic and most-beloved films with follow-ups and expansions. At first glance, this sequel seems very repetitious…until it isn’t. While Gladiator II cannot reach the heights of the original, it’s a logical flipside of the coin, an echo building upon its predecessor’s ideas, and most importantly, it’s a theatrical blast. With thrilling supporting players and some jaw-dropping action set pieces (historical accuracy be damned, watch a documentary if that matters for you), this long-belated continuation was still worth putting your sandals on for.

3.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

For my review of Ridley Scott’s Alien, click here.
For my review of Ridley Scott’s The Martian, click here.
For my review of Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, click here.