‘Gladiator 2’ - Review
25 years ago, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator graced screens and was showered with award praise. Remembered for its electrifying lead performance and its blend of practical sets combined with CGI, the film remains one of Scott’s transportive world epics that have stayed revered through time. Crafting a sequel to this Best Picture winner was never a matter of "why," but "when." Soon after the success of Gladiator, many attempts were made to bring us back to Rome, even if it meant resurrecting our fallen hero, Maximus. However, these ideas fizzled out, and enough time passed for Gladiator 2 to become the type of movie now coined a "legacy sequel"—a term that many may wince at today.
What differs with this legacy sequel, however, is that its director from the predecessor returns. Ridley Scott, now 87 years old, is still churning out movies; in fact, he’s still making films on scales just as large as he was in the '80s and 2000s. The quality of his most recent narratives can certainly be debated, but there’s no denying that Scott's ambition has remained, as has his interest in historical epics like The Last Duel and Napoleon. Gladiator 2 seemed destined to happen, but sadly, it may only be remembered as another footnote in a long line of rehashed, nostalgic call-backs—a beat-for-beat remnant of the first film.
Gladiator 2 follows Hanno (Paul Mescal), a refugee soldier residing in Arishat. After a Roman army, led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), attacks and invades the kingdom, Hanno is enslaved and forced to fight his way to freedom as a gladiator. Through this process, he is claimed and mentored by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), whose plans for power and control over Rome slowly come to light. It then falls to Hanno to come to terms with his past and to build a united Rome that stands for its people.
What’s most difficult about dissecting a sequel on its own terms, rather than immediately comparing it to its predecessor, is that, for the most part, this sequel is a beat-for-beat remake of the first Gladiator. Is that really a bad thing, though? If we’re going to redo this, we might as well redo the Best Picture winner, right? Well, sure, but the problem then becomes the glaring differences between the two movies, both for better and for worse.
For starters, Mescal, who’s given the same role as Crowe in the first film, is clearly a downgrade. The physicality and grit are there, but Mescal is let down by a script that attempts to tell a broader story with multiple moving parts. By the finale, this structure fails to deliver the emotional punch of its predecessor. This isn’t to say Gladiator 2 isn’t focused on what it wants to say—Rome’s well-being and the people who govern it loom large throughout the film, while we intercut with the epic colosseum battles. The problem mainly lies with a story that doesn’t seem to find the sweet spot between its hero’s motivations and the overarching plot.
The movie’s main triumph, however, is in the character of Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington. As soon as Washington appears on screen, the movie is injected with a spark and charisma it so desperately needs. While our main hero, Hanno, is stuck in captivity, Washington’s character is moving behind the scenes, bending political power to his will with a smile. Washington steals the show. In fact, the movie suffers tremendously without him. You could easily argue that he should be the main lead, as his character provides a more nuanced approach to the story. This is a character given more to do than the protagonist, and casting Denzel was just the nail in the coffin for any hope that the audience might care about what our main hero is doing in his jail cell.
What Gladiator 2 gets right, however, are the crowd-pleasing aspects of a movie of this stature. The colosseum battles are as fun and engaging as ever, with new, unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. While some dicey CGI is on display, it’s clear that one thing this movie does well is deliver intense battles that a majority of audiences are looking for. Mescal also owns these scenes, bringing the movie back to life with his performance as he takes down barbarians with his bare fists and sword.
Grievances aside, Gladiator 2 is ultimately fine—a movie that holds the audience’s hand, bringing them down memory lane with call-backs and desaturated flashbacks. A legacy sequel that will likely be disposed of and only remembered for its saving grace: a supporting character’s performance that is so good it may win an Oscar.
I was mildly entertained.
