Few filmmakers care less about conformity and commercialism than Ridley Scott who, at 86 years old, just wants to eschew tradition to deliver huge, thrilling spectacle. Despite being on a mostly tumultuous streak since 2017’s All the Money in the World, Scott returns to his second-most iconic property for a pseudo-sequel-reboot and it’s that sheer nonchalance and bravado that, comfortably, and by some margin, makes Gladiator 2 his best film in some time.
The Swords and Sandals film hasn’t quite found its contemporary stride with most attempts – The King, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Pompeii – struggling to land with audiences. Having had its heyday in the ’60s when the likes of Spartacus and Ber-Hur were all the rage, it only saw something of a revival in the early noughties when 2000’s Gladiator and its successors (Braveheart, The Patriot, Troy) brought sobriety and grit to the genre – Russell Crowe’s Maximus waxing lyrical about the democratic ideals of a fallen Rome.
Scott, however, is far less concerned with historical nuance this time around. Gladiator 2 is still rife with the knotty politics of Emperors and power but a sequence very early on has muscle-clad Lucius Veras (Paul Mescal) fighting off baboon-mutt hybrids (think of the monkey creatures in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and you’re on the right lines) and the film’s showstopper set-piece – in a film littered with many eye-wateringly massive sequences – puts sharks in the Colosseum! It’s a pretty apt summation of the sequel as a whole: an elevation of the thrills and action that these sorts of films, and Scott himself, have done countless times before.
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It’s not just the action that has a fresh coat of paint either; the narrative is, essentially, a reskin of the original Gladiator but with new characters taking on the mantles. Lucius is, unwittingly, captured and bought into slavery by the power-hungry Macrinus (Denzel Washington) who is the on hunt for his new star gladiator. Lucius, hungry for revenge on General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) for destroying his domestic life, reluctantly agrees to do Macrinus’ bidding on the promise that he’ll have Acacius’ head when the time comes. And all of this just for the entertainment of whiny, young co-Emperor twins Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).
Rehashed ideas aside, the sheer force at which this thing moves is exhilarating. Scott stages gigantic set-pieces – even going so far as to create a 1:1 practical reconstruction of the Colosseum – with such ease and the action is slick and brutal as people are decapitated and limbs are slashed left, right and centre. It’s bombastic and indulgent and a bit sprawling – not all of the subplots coalesce – but Gladiator 2 is, if nothing else, a thoroughly good time at the movies and that’s something of a lost art these days. Mescal’s turn is more vengeful than Crowe’s but the rage and physicality of the performance quickly cements his leading man status. Meanwhile, Washington revels in the camp, operatic nature of this era; donning decadent gowns, drinking wine with class, and spouting the dialogue like it’s some cross between Shakespeare and pantomime, if the thrilling action and soapy drama weren’t enough then, rest assured, Washington’s performance alone is worth the price of admission.
Gladiator II is released in cinemas on 15th November.
Gladiator II
Summary
Washington’s performance alone is worth the price of admission but as a whole, Gladiator II is a thoroughly good time at the movies.
