Daisy
In 2000, Russel Crowe asked the audience ‘are you not entertained?’ And people were.
Gladiator – the Oscar-winning blockbuster – was a Ridley Scott classic. An epic for the ages. And 24 years later, Ridley Scott returns to the Roman empire to continue the story.
But did this highly-anticipated sequel rise up to the challenge?
Set 15 years after the events of the first film, we now get to follow the story of Lucius (Paul Mescal).
While presented as a sequel, the film is more of a remake. Despite carrying on the story, Lucius suffers an extremely similar fate to his predecessor Maximus.
The film starts by rehashing some key plot points.
We open on an epic battle – as the Roman empire invades Numidia, the home to our new hero.
Lucius witnesses the death of his wife at the hands of the Roman General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) and is then promptly kidnapped and sold into slavery. Sounds a little familiar, right?
He now must make his way up the ranks as a Gladiator if he wishes to get revenge on the man that killed his wife. All the while, the Roman empire is suffering at the hands of a tyrannical duo.
For fans of the first Gladiator, Lucius is a familiar name. He’s just a boy in the first film, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielson). But he has long forgotten who he was – after being sent away for his own safety as a child.
So as Lucius returns to Rome, he must also return to his former life, uncovering secrets of who he truly is. One secret being who his real father is. This decision from the writers might’ve added more character development to Lucius, but it undermined the principles that drove our our hero in the first film.
Despite the plot similarities, Paul Mescal’s gladiator is more hollow. Without the big shoes Crowe left, it would’ve been a great performance. But sadly, Lucius feels overshadowed in his own film. But I will say, he looks spectacular in that skirt.
As for the villains of this film, there are many. Macrinus (Denzel Washington) commands the film as gladiator manager and master manipulator. The co-emperors (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger) are painfully deranged, eerily reminiscent of Michael Haneke’s villianous duo from Funny Games.
The film itself is beautiful. It isn’t afraid to flaunt its budget and the anachronisms are easily forgivable. It’s a sequel that has largely been ‘Hollywood-ified’. It strips back the emotion to give way to the spectacle.
But this is what makes it fun.
The battles are truly grand, with expert choreography and a crazy amount of CGI animals.
A two-horned rhino? Check.
Scary as hell monkeys? Check.
SHARKS? Check.
I was completely enthralled by this film, grinning and gasping at the action. It breaks away from the sombre tone of the first film to give us something gloriously gory and a bit camp.
As a sequel, this film falls flat, devoid of real emotion and meaning. But on its own? It’s an epic action Hollywood flick that will in fact keep you entertained.
Year: 2024
Rating: R16
Running Time: 148 MIN
Genre: Action
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington
Production Studio: Scott Free Productions
Distributor: Paramount Pictures