Movie Review: GLADIATOR II Starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington

Sequels can be a tricky thing.

Whether you’re a novelist, a playwright, or a script writer, being tasked with coming up with a sequel to an initial hit is daunting. On one hand, you’ve at least got a built-in fan base, so you’re not needing to get everyone’s attention. You also have an established fictional universe with fleshed-out characters that people are familiar with. On the other hand, you are now forced to choose between keeping down a familiar path (and risk being criticized for being too derivative and predictable) or taking a new one (and risk alienating the fanbase).

Each approach has had its share of successes and failures. For director Ridley Scott, a glimpse at his filmography reveals mixed results for the approaches. His subliminal science fiction classic Alien spawned a sequel (which Ridley did not direct) that many hail as its equal, and some consider even superior. Under James Cameron’s supervision, Aliens took the franchise in a different approach, opting for science fiction action instead of sci-fi horror, and it ended up being a magnificent film in its own right. Yet when Ridley returned to the helm for two Alien prequels, reception was a bit more mixed; many fans were hesitant to embrace the changes he made to the Alienverse, prompting Ridley to turn the franchise over once again to another director for its newest iteration.

After spending years in development hell, the sequel to another of Ridley’s best works finally releases Friday. Set 16 years after the duel between Maximus (Russell Crowe) and Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Gladiator II is centered around Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal), the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), whose father Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome before Commodus killed him. While Mescal replaces the actor who originally portrayed Lucius, Nielsen and a few others came back to reprise their roles.

Usually I type a couple of paragraphs here to describe a bit of the plot, but I’ll be honest here: if you’ve seen the first movie, you don’t need me to. Ridley has essentially retold the story of Gladiator with a slightly different setting and cast. Instead of Maximus, we have Lucius. Instead of Commodus, we have Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). The story of Gladiator II parallels the first one pretty closely, with a few things changed.

Fortunately, the film is still rather entertaining thanks to some superlative performances. Mescal turns in an excellent performance as Lucius, an anger-filled widower hellbent on getting his revenge against the responsible party. Pedro Pascal, too, is terrific as Marcus Acacius, and Connie has some moving scenes. The spotlight of the film, though, shines ever so brightly on Denzel Washington, who I wouldn’t be shocked ifh e were to receive an Oscar nod for his turn as Macrinus, the slave-owning showman with dreams of becoming emperor. He’s brilliant, conniving, and charismatic as ever, and his performance alone is worth the watch.

The cinematography is once again on point, which is no surprise given that John Mathieson returned for the sequel. Sweeping panoramas of Rome contrast beautifully with the sharp, jagged combat in the Coliseum. Ancient Rome truly feels alive in the film as it’s about to enter the turbulent era known as the Crisis of the Third Century. While Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard did not return to compose the score, one of his pupils, Harry Gregson-Williams, fills in ably, and re-uses many of the musical passages Zimmer and Gerrard wrote.

The movie certainly looks and sounds like the original film, and there are definitely stretches where it actually feels like it as well. The combat sequences are expertly laid out, and played on the big screen, one truly gets a sense that they’re in the Coliseum. I won’t delve too much into the historical aspect of the film, as there will be experts far better-versed in ancient Roman history who can provide a better outlook on that.

I really, really wanted to love this movie, as the original is still in my rotation of movies I watch regularly, but I can’t say I was completely enamored with it. IT certainly has some great moments, but I couldn’t help but overall get a feeling of deja vu. Gladiator II is, for lack of a better word, leftovers. Now, it’s very good leftovers (think your favorite pizza from your favorite place) that one can still enjoy immensely, but you already had it the first time, and if you’re craving something different, it may not hit the same.

I’ll say this, though, it’s better than what it might have been.

Gladiator II gets a B-