Ridley Scott returns to the Roman Colosseum with Gladiator II. It has been sixteen years since the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and his dream of making Rome a free republic has died under the rule of the twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Aurelius’ grandson Lucius (Paul Mescal) has been living in exile in Numidia under the assumed name Hanno. Lucius is taken prisoner after losing a battle with the Roman Army led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who happens to be married to Lucius’ mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).
Lucius is sold as a Gladiator to Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who has ambitious plans for himself in Rome. Lucius is sent to participate in the Gladiatorial games in honour of General Acacius’ victory. However, unbeknownst to Lucius or the Emperors, Acacius is in the midst of planning a coup with Lucilla and Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi), in an attempt to restore Marcus Aurelius’ dream of a free Rome.
Gladiator II Synopsis
Arriving 24 years after the original Oscar-winning film, Ridley Scott returns to direct Gladiator II. A sequel to Gladiator has been in some form of development as far back as 2001, with there even being early discussions about using Roman Mythology about the afterlife to bring back Russell Crowe‘s deceased protagonist of Maximus. However, Gladiator II is more of a straight-forward follow-up with Paul Mescal (Aftersun, Foe) coming on board as the adult Lucius, who was played as a child in the original by Spencer Treat Clark.
In addition to returning cast members, Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi, Gladiator II also stars Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian) as the secondary protagonist General Acacius, who has his own plans for a free Rome, despite Lucius having a vengeful vendetta against him. Also joining the fray is Denzel Washington, reuniting with Ridley Scott after previously collaborating on 2007’s American Gangster, who plays Lucius’ mentor Macrinus. However, unlike his counterpart Proximo, played by the late Oliver Reed in the original, Macrinus is a schemer with an ulterior motive for bringing Gladiators to Rome.
My Thoughts on Gladiator II
The original Gladiator from 2000, along with its five Oscar wins, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe’s breakthrough performance, can be credited with giving Ridley Scott a career resurgence after a slump in the 1990s. Now in his mid-80s, Ridley Scott remains an incredibly prolific director, and he has finally made Gladiator II after the film was stuck in Development Hell for decades. Getting straight to the point, despite Ridley Scott’s apparent attempt to depict an overarching narrative about the eventual fall of the Roman Empire, Gladiator II is a completely unnecessary sequel that is arriving decades too late.
While I have nothing against Paul Mescal, who deservingly received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for 2022’s Aftersun, he seems ill-fitted to follow in the footsteps of Russell Crowe. Crowe’s Maximus was a character straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy – A faithful Roman soldier who is betrayed by the young new Emperor and fights for revenge as a Gladiator. Lucius doesn’t have any of that. Instead, it is established through flashbacks that he was sent away after the events of the previous film and his own quest for vengeance comes from a losing a wife we barely get to know in the film’s opening battle.
While Gladiator II never reaches the highs of the original, the film’s plot did end up growing on me as it progressed. Despite the film’s title, Ridley Scott seems less interested in the Gladiator battles and more in the political scheming going on behind the scenes. It is through these scenes that Gladiator II is stolen by the performance of Denzel Washington as Macrinus, who manages to get himself in the ears of the very clownish Emperors of Geta and Caracalla, played respectively by Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Fred Hechinger (Fear Street Part One: 1994, Hell of a Summer, Thelma). This political intrigue leads towards a third act twist that ends up moving the action outside the walls of the Colosseum.
While Gladiator II probably won’t reach the same level of acclaim as the original, save for a probably Best Supporting Actor nomination for Denzel Washington, the film still ends up being an entertaining follow-up. However, I am not so sure about the rumblings of Ridley Scott wanting to conclude his “Fall of Rome” trilogy with a third film. However, there are only so many tragic protagonists that you can throw into the Colosseum.
Trailer for Gladiator II
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