Gladiator II

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Screenplay by:David Scarpa

It’s 20 since the death of Maximus, his son Lucius (Paul Mescal) lives in anonymity, sent far from Rome by his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) for his own safety. But when his home is invaded by Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) he finds himself transported back to Rome, under the ownership of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who promises that if he fights for him, he’ll give him the head of whoever he wants. But Lucius finds himself in the middle of plots that involve Rome’s hated joint emperors. All this reawakens in Lucius the reality of his past and the desire to see the Rome his grandfather, Marcus Aurelius, dreamed of, whatever price he must pay.

I wasn’t a fan of the first Gladiator, so maybe I’m not the audience for a sequel. And if that’s the case, Ridley Scott won’t be disappointed, because I didn’t like this either!

It starts with a wonderful title sequence before jumping almost immediately into a superbly realised visceral battle. But that’s almost where the fun stops.

Yes it’s a sweeping epic as it recreates the Roman empire of 200AD with all its violent and bloody battles. But it also lacks any interesting narrative, character or plot development and for all of its scale, blood and thunder, it’s a bit dull.

The lack of character development is a problem because it leaves you with a film full of faceless characters you’re not interested in. This includes Mescal’s Lucius, who struggles to go beyond a Russel Crowe impersonation. The twin emperors (Joseph Quinn & Fred Hechinger) never convince as ruthless dictators. Its only saving grace is Denzel Washington, who steals every scene and is thoroughly convincing as the scheming power mad and ruthless Macrinus.

I always thought the original Gladiator was overblown nonsense and its sequel made me feel the same. Yes it’s full of blood and thunder. But it’s also long, predictable, lacks any character depth and is a bit dull. Mescal never convinces as an inspiration and while Denzel Washington is a saving grace he can’t save it on his own.