GLADIATOR II (2024)

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington
Runtime: 2 hrs 28 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 14 November 2024

Synopsis: From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Movie Review:

More than two decades after one of the most definitive films of his storied career, Ridley Scott returns to the Roman arena for ‘Gladiator II’. Picking up 15 years after he was sent away by his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) to escape the treachery of Rome, the sequel establishes Lucius as a happily married soldier named Hanno (Paul Mescal) living a simple life in the North African province of Numidia. As fate would have it, Numidia is invaded by a fleet of Roman warships led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), and after losing his wife in the ensuing battle, Hanno returns to Rome as a slave, vowing revenge on Acacius.

It is no surprise that Hanno’s road to vengeance will lead him into the gladiatorial arena, trodding the path that his father Maximus had taken. Despite that familiarity, there is indeed still strength and honour in Scott and writer David Scarpa’s do-over, as Hanno rises not only in prominence with each successive match in the arena, but also rises up as a rallying figure amidst the decay of the Roman empire under its twin-brother emperors, the fey Geta (Joseph Quinn) and the even more fey Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). There is also plenty of political intrigue, what with Lucilla now married with Acacius and plotting to overthrow the kings with the help of a loyal 5,000-strong army.

We all love a good underdog story, which is why we are predisposed to embrace Lucius’ comeback. That said, those expecting it to be as rousing or poignant as that of Maximus will probably go away disappointed; unlike Maximus, Lucius is driven for the most part singularly by brooding intensity and simmering rage, and only begins to embrace a larger ideal in the last half hour of the movie. For that reason too, as accomplished as Irish actor Mescal is in the role, he lacks the keenness and gravitas that Crowe had as Maximus. It is also somewhat a pity that Lucius is relegated as a pawn in the machinations of the supporting characters around him, especially his master and mentor Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave who leverages Lucius’ prominence to get the attention of the emperors for his own Machiavellian intentions.

It says something indeed that we are more intrigued by Acacius and Macrinus than we are by Lucius, in part because both veterans Pascal and Washington steal the show. Like he did in the excellent HBO series ‘The Last of Us’, Pascal brings both depth and nuance to his role here, a true Roman patriot who sees the decline and excess around him and is motivated by his duty to country. On the other hand, Washington leans into the enigmatic role of Macrinus with absolute gusto, portraying him as a canny player of greed and ruthlessness. Washington calibrates his performance with utter finesse, combining charisma, steely authority and sly humour into an mesmerising vision of ambitious evil.

On his part, Scott keeps the proceedings pacey and tight throughout the film’s two-and-a-half hour duration. Scott’s commitment to big-screen spectacle remains undiminished, and he pulls out all the stops for the big-action arena scenes. Besides brutal man-on-man fights, Scott kicks things up a notch with savage baboons, a man riding on a giant, marauding rhino, and even a re-enactment of a nautical battle within the flooded, shark-infested pit of the Colosseum. Those criticising the film for its lack of historical accuracy miss the point; ultimately, at the grand old age of 86, Scott has simply let himself loose to unleash a couple of no-holds-barred set-pieces, bad CGI be damned.

And to his credit, ‘Gladiator II’ remains a giddily entertaining popcorn epic from start to finish, even if it doesn’t match up to the brilliance of the original.  It is still an engrossing mix of battles, swordplay, bloodshed and Ancient Roman intrigue, this time with a lot more camp than the previous time round, but there is good reason why ‘Gladiator’ won both Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe. As much as we respect the collaboration between Scott and Scarpa over the past few years, we hope Scott finds a stronger writer for his next few works, because it is ultimately no coincidence that the one weakness across his last few films has been a less than compelling narrative.

Movie Rating:

(While not quite matching the magnificence of the original, 'Gladiator II' is still an engrossing swords-and-scandals epic that packs gladiatorial action, bloodsport and camp with some delicious political intrigue)

Review by Gabriel Chong