I think The Critical Drinker said it best: We are not entertained.

Not to say that this is a bad movie. It isn’t. After all, this movie is directed by Ridley Scott, who also directed Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, The Martian and what else…? Oh yeah, the first Gladiator. Many of the qualities of a great movie are present in Gladiator II; however, there are also many qualities of a sub-par movie.

The Good

The acting is good, perhaps great, considering the actors didn’t have great dialog to work with. No actor can turn poor dialog into a great performance. I think there’s a common misconception that bad acting is all about the actor. But I think of it more like football. If the coach doesn’t call the right play, and the offensive line doesn’t block well, and the receiver doesn’t get open, then the best quarterback ever isn’t going to be successful. But flip that over and call a good play, with good blocking, and a good receiver who gets open, then an average quarterback is going to look like like an all-pro.

To put it bluntly, some great actors salvaged the mediocre writing to make it presentable. Standing on it’s own, this might have been good enough, but this follows the original Gladiator which was outstanding. In my book, it’s one of the top 25 movies ever. Gladiator II did nothing to move the needle.

Visual Spectacle

Ridley Scott’s masterful eye for epic scale remains intact. The battle sequences are appropriately grandiose, and the recreation of ancient Rome is stunning. However, where the original Gladiator used its spectacle to serve the story, here it sometimes feels like the story serves the spectacle. The cinematography by John Mathieson, who also shot the first film, maintains the same rich visual texture, but the color palette feels less distinct than the golden-hued original.

The Bad

The best place to start is always with the villain. Any good hero story needs a great villain and this movie completely misses. The twin emperors in Gladiator II have no motivation to speak of. They’re just sort of crazy for the sake of being crazy. We don’t even know how they came into power. We don’t know what they want, other than to stay in power and watch bloodshed. They are shallow villains.

[ Spoilers ahead ]

The story did a better job with Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington. There was potential here to make him a great villain, but the story is incomplete. We can see what he’s doing, but not why he’s doing it. The very short explanation the story provides is all told to us, but not shown. There’s no tension here. However, if we know from the beginning what Macrinus’s motivation was, and more specifically, why he was motivated, then we could experience dramatic irony: the audience would know that the real villain is Macrinus, but the protagonist would have been fighting the twin emperors, without seeing the real danger.

There was one scene that really confused me. I was taking notes to find Peetimes so perhaps I missed something. If so, please let me know in the comments. There was a scene of Lucius when he was very young. He was watching other kids play a game, and then soldiers arrived. Lucius ran away and someone put him on a horse to get away from the camp so that the soldiers wouldn’t find him. The problem is that Lucius looks to be only 8-10 years old at this point. But his mother didn’t send him away from Rome until after the events of the first Gladiator movie, so he would have been closer to 12 by then. I’m not sure how that scene is supposed to fit in the flow of time.

Ultimately, Gladiator II is too similar to the first Gladiator without offering anything that builds or improves on what we’ve already seen. I would have enjoyed my time much more just rewatching Gladiator for the 10th time.

Standing in the Shadow

The original Gladiator worked because it was more than just a historical action film – it was a meditation on power, revenge, and justice. Its famous “What we do in life echoes in eternity” theme resonated throughout every aspect of the story. While this sequel tries to explore new themes about identity and destiny, it never doesn’t do anything new or better and only repeats the famous line a few more times. Gladiator II achieves none of the philosophical depth that made the original transcend its genre.

Grade: C

You might also enjoy:

• The Eagle – Another story of Roman-era adventure
• Centurion – A grittier take on Roman military life
• The Last Legion – Another tale of Rome’s later years

Also, HBO’s Rome series – For a more nuanced look at Roman politics. I’ve watched this series twice, and it is magnificent.

About The Peetimes: This is a long movie and fortunately I found 4 good Peetimes. I was able to find Peetimes that avoid action and character development, for the most part.

I think the first and third are the best ones. The last Peetime is for emergency use only.

There are no extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Gladiator II.

Rated:	(R) Strong Bloody Violence
Genres:	Action, Adventure, Drama
USA release date:	2024-11-22
Movie length:
Starring:	Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen
Director:	Ridley Scott
Writer(s):	David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni
Language:	English
Country:	United Kingdom, United States

Plot
After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.