More than twenty years after best picture-winning “Gladiator,” Ridley Scott returned to the arena to direct a sequel.
The ensemble starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington is what makes “Gladiator II” as good as it is. Mescal, who plays Lucius, is stuck as the stoic main character but he is still quite entertaining to watch, even though he is the weakest link of this cast.
The rest of the ensemble is where the movie really shines through. This is especially true with Washington. He is having the time of his life in this movie and the energy he has on screen is infectious throughout. Any scene with him had me glued to the screen. His subplot is also entertaining and, in my opinion, it is one of the best parts of the film.
That leads to the a-plot, which more or less is the same as the first film. This is the part of the movie that doesn’t work for me entirely. The film is moving at a breakneck pace to push the revenge plot between Lucius and Acacius (Pascal), which is in essence, just the plot of the first film. Not only is this revenge weaker than the first films, it also doesn’t get the screen time that it deserves due to it being split with Washington’s plot. This makes the film quite messy through most of its runtime.
The crossover of both of the subplot and a-plot does lead to a great third act, however. Macrinus’ (Washington’s) plan to become king leads to Lucius battling him for Rome. While it is convoluted overall, the ending to the movie is a pretty straightforward blockbuster affair, and it works.
The best part of the movie are definitely the action set pieces throughout. They are incredibly engaging and unique to watch. There are a lot of different ones that have stuck in my mind even a week after seeing it. The naval battle in the Colosseum with the sharks is so fun and absolutely insane that it had me laughing with joy.
At the end of the day, “Gladiator II” is just pure blockbuster fun. While at times the movie can be messy plot-wise, the strong performances from the ensemble (especially Washington) and the action set pieces make it a great time at the movies.
Rating: 8/10
