The Reel Review
Sixteen years after Maximus (Russell Crowe’s character in 2000’s Gladiator) is killed, his secretly exiled son Lucius is captured by the invading Roman Army and forced back to Rome to compete as a gladiator. Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington star in this historical adventure epic from director Ridley Scott, set in the waning days of the Roman Empire.
Throughout his illustrious career, 86-year-old Scott has had some massive hits (Alien, Gladiator, The Martian, Prometheus) and more recently, some notable misses (Napoleon, House of Gucci, The Counselor). Gladiator II has him back at the top of his game, its epic visuals serving as the backdrop for a cleverly constructed Shakespearean screenplay from frequent Scott collaborator Daniel Scarpa (Napoleon, All the Money in the World). The fight scenes are shockingly brutal and very bloody.
Mescal shines as the charismatic but reluctant rebel Lucius, as does Joseph Quinn (A Quiet Place: Day One) and Fred Hechinger (Thelma) as the idiotic and loathsome, tyrannical rulers (Sound familiar?), and Washington as the Machiavellian political opportunist. The inclusion of scenes from the original Gladiator help tie together the story. The film’s weaknesses – some dodgy baboon and background setting CGI, and one fake looking severed head – are relatively minor. Gladiator II is a fitting sequel to its predecessor, which won five Oscars, including Best Picture.
REEL FACTS
• Paul Mescal beat out Timothée Chalamet, Miles Teller, Austin Butler and Richard Madden for the lead role of Lucius in Gladiator II.
• Connie Nielsen (Lucius’ mother Lucilla) and Derek Jacobi (anti-corruption Senator Gracchus) are the only two returning cast members from 2000’s Gladiator.
• Gladiator II was filmed in Morocco, Malta and the UK.
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