Movie Breakdown: Gladiator II

Pre-Screening Stance:

Hey look at that, it’s another legacy sequel that doesn’t really feel particularly necessary … but Ridley Scott is directing and it stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and other easy-to-like folks, so sure, I’m down to give Gladiator II a go.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Well, Gladiator II isn’t great but it also manages to avoid being bad. The film, which is set 16 years after the original, features a new fella (Paul Mescal) who finds himself captured and tossed into the Coliseum. This time though it’s not for the amusement of just one emperor but two – the twisted twin rulers Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). There’s also some behind the scenes shenanigans, which are largely led by businessman/Gladiator-owner Macrinus (Denzel Washington), General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). I’d note more but then things would get spoiler-y quick and you don’t want that, though I could argue that this film doesn’t do a single unexpected thing throughout its lengthy runtime of nearly two and a half hours. And that, really, is what puts it on the straight and narrow path of being mediocre. Gladiator II, unfortunately, feels like a big paint-by-numbers studio movie – there’s famous faces, a lot of CG, and just an overall bloated feel to it that prevents it from rekindling the epic wonder of the first film. Again, this isn’t to say it’s bad – Denzel is clearly having a fantastic time playing the squirrely Macronis and there’s more than enough action to keep it from being an outright bore – but it just doesn’t have the spark that the original carries. Still, I’d recommend that you see it on the big screen because that’s where it’s going to play best – just be sure to keep those expectations in check. The film hits theaters this Friday, November 22.

One Last Thought:

I like Paul Mescal but after seeing him in Gladiator II, I’m not sure he should be starring in tentpole-type movies (or maybe at least not yet). He’s largely flat here, which could have just been the movie, but he has a couple of times to shine and he whiffs on replicating the gravitas that Russell Crowe sported in the first film.