**** Spoilers Ahead. Enter at your own risk ****
In cinema, sequels to blockbusters are scrutinized, and the consensus is (usually) that they are not as good as the originals they follow. Gladiator II, though, can be argued to give its predecessor a run for its money.
Ridley Scott is once again at the helm of this new Gladiator film, which sees the rise of Lucilla’s son Lucius from prisoner of war to the throne of Rome. The film follows his journey as he is forced to return to Rome as a gladiator and must fight in the grand arena of the Colosseum to have a chance at revenge, but also at an opportunity to fulfill his grandfather Marcus Aurelius’ dream of a freer and more just Rome. The storyline picks up several years after the events of the first film, and it was nice to see things come full circle.
Paul Mescal steps into the role of Lucius, the long-disappeared prince of Rome. While watching Mescal in the film, there were moments in his performance that reminded me of Russell Crowe’s Maximus in the original, especially with his mannerisms and the intensity of his expressions. Pedro Pascal takes on the role of Marcus Acacius, general of the Roman armies, and he gives a powerful performance. Opposite Pascal, and returning to reprise her role as Lucilla, is Connie Nielsen, who gives another moving performance as a mother doing everything to protect her child while trying to save Rome at the same time. Denzel Washington rounds out the top cast and is phenomenal as the duplicitous Macrinus.
Scott does a wonderful job of bringing the ancient city to life, just as he did for the first one. The graphics for the arena scenes are very well done. The costumes and sets are on point, as are the fight and battle scenes. If you like guts and gore, then this film will be to your liking.
Gladiator II is a worthy sequel to the first. The storyline is well-developed and ties in seamlessly with the storyline of the first, and the performances are stellar across the board.
Gladiator II is now in theaters.
