Title – Gladiator II (2024) 

Director – Ridley Scott (The Martian) 

Cast – Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielson, Joseph Quinn

Plot – Taken prisoner after his home is conquered by the ruthless Roman regime, Lucius (Mescal) ends up under the control of Macrinus (Washington) who sends him to the gladiatorial arena with promises of a shot at revenge against beloved Roman soldier Marcus Acacius (Pascal) who was responsible for the attack on Lucius’s home country. 

“Rage is your gift”

Review by Eddie on 15/11/2024

A sequel 24 years in the making, Ridley Scott’s $250 million dollar return to the Roman Colosseum has been a long time coming and one that has gone through many false starts, a reason why many have long held reservations about what a follow-up/on would look like when compared to Scott’s beloved Oscar winning original that at the time of writing remains steady at #35 on IMDB’s Top 250 Movies of All Time List. 

Trying not to judge this belated sequel too harshly against its revered forefather, the question of “are you not entertained?” rings loudly in the mind with the short and disappointing answer a resounding no, with Gladiator 2 continuing on legendary director Ridley Scott’s mostly lean decade or more run that suggests the aging filmmaker has well and truly lost his creative and audience pleasing mojo. 

Given all the tools one could desire, Gladiator 2’s ample budget and talented cast lead by rising industry star Paul Mescal suggested on paper that the stars were aligning to ensure that at the very minimum Gladiator 2 was going to be a rare 2024 big screen delight but even as throwaway piece of entertainment there’s little to write home about here with Scott’s action adventure a soulless and mostly disposable offering that is saved by some committed supporting turns and some brief spectacles that showcase a film that might have been. 

Clocking in at close to two and half hours in length, there’s a lot of ground being covered in Gladiator 2 and a lot of characters to play their parts in it but David Scarpa’s weak script, Scott’s unimaginative direction, a bunch of under-written and utilised characters, Harry Gregson-Williams forgettable score (how we miss you Hans) and some curiously amateurish editing all work to ensure any success Gladiator 2 finds on screen is fleeting, creating a film that is entirely forgettable and one that fails to justify its existence. 

Whether its battling CGI rejects primates from Planet of the Apes, throwing dust into the faces of rhinos or shark infested naval battles in the midst of the arena battlegrounds there’s a lot of almost moments in Scott’s return to ancient Rome and a lot of teases of what should be fantastic set-pieces and drama infused spectacle but nothing ever clicks together as one would hope for, with a lost Paul Mescal right in the midst of it all as the charisma free Lucius. 

Overshadowed by a scene chewing Denzel Washington and a typically assured Pedro Pascal turn, there was hope that the Oscar nominated Mescal would have his own Russell Crowe moment leading the charge in this iteration of Scott’s sword and sandal universe but his Lucius is a wet blanket of a character and his turn reflects the weak material he was gifted to work with. 

Barely rising above meek mumbles and scouring looks, Mescal must from here wait a little longer before his big Hollywood moment arrives as Scott fails to get the most out of his leading man who has shown so much promise in much of his early work. 

It’s the type of performance where you end up feeling sorry for the actor tasked with trying to bring something to life that was mostly DOA when they first uttered their opening lines, a sentiment that permeates through most of Scott’s film that from the moment its odd opening credits begin appears destined to never get out of first gear, an ongoing trend that has ruined much of Scott’s work in the modern era. 

Suffering from the possibly insurmountable task of paying homage to the classic original while also forging its own path in the changed cinematic landscape we find ourselves in today, it’s hard to see Gladiator 2 making a significant mark in the short or the long term, with it only truly succeeding in reminding us all just how good its predecessor was.

Final Say – 

Filled with various short-lived moments of entertainment and engagement, Gladiator 2 is a pretty looking vessel with a hollow centre. Unable to provide any worthwhile spectacle or gripping character beats, Ridley Scott’s expensive follow-up to his most adored success is a disappointing exercise in pointlessness that does little to help the cause of a struggling big screen marketplace. 

2 primate senators out of 5