‘Gladiator II’ – Review
Twenty-four years after he resurrected Ancient Rome upon the cinema scene and brought the historical epic back into the public conscience, Sir Ridley Scott, cinema’s greatest ever worldbuilder, once again brings audiences back to the Colosseum for Gladiator II, and this long-awaited sequel is a story of deep political intrigue and rousing rebellion and promises the rise of a new hero, and you will be entertained.
Over two decades after the events of Gladiator, Lucius (Paul Mescal) — the grandson of Rome’s former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus — lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invade, killing his wife and forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by the story of Maximus, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator under the tutelage of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave who plots to overthrow the young emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).
2000’s Gladiator was an epic for the ages that resurrected the Roman epic onto the big screen and created a character and story that so many still hold so close to their hearts through its message of heroism and stoicism in the face of suffering and hardship. It was a film that conquered the box office and was lauded on the Awards circuit, including winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now, twenty-four years later, Sir Ridley Scott has decided that it is time for him to return to Ancient Rome for Gladiator II. And you will be entertained. Picking up the story 20 years after the defeat of Commodus and the death of Maximus, Marcus Aurelius’ dream of Rome is now a forgotten idea, and tyranny grips the streets of a once noble city. A new hero must rise to claim the legacy of Aurelius’ dream, and the resulting drama will leave you mesmerised.
Scott’s exceptional talent for worldbuilding is on full display as he and his talented team of collaborators, including film legends such as production designer Arthur Max, costume designer Janty Yates, cinematographer John Matheson and composer Harry Gregson-Williams, a protegee of Hans Zimmer, unleash their talents. The result is a film of epic scale that is double the size of the original film and firmly cements audiences directly in the colossal scale of the Roman empire. From the scars of the battle plains of Numidia to the grandeur of the Roman forum and the monumental scale and lavish entertainments of the arena of the Colosseum, all of them are constructed with such meticulous attention to detail that you are pulled deeper into this epic picture. Gladiator II is an example of why Ridley Scott can be considered a master of the cinematic craft, and his handling of the visual spectacle of his film helps to drive home the film’s dramatic and intense story of revolution.
Hollywood’s latest rising star, Paul Mescal, steps into the role of the film’s hero, Lucius, and he cuts a heroic figure of strong masculine power in Gladiator II. Lucuis’ journey in this second part of the Gladiator narrative is one of discovery, as he is a man who has to rediscover the life and legacy he left behind. It’s a character arc which is not unlike Maximus, and while there are hints of similarity between the two characters, Scott and screenwriter David Scarpa have given Mescal plenty of room to develop Lucius in his own direction. Physically, Mescal has completely transformed for the part, packing on a good solid block of muscle, and Lucius is overtaken by sheer feralness when he walks upon the sands of the arena. There’s a burning rage to his character’s actions, and it’s only as he opens up to the ‘Dream of Rome’ and his need to fight for it that the hero that this once great empire finally emerges.
Over the past few years, Mescal has been rapidly scaling the heights of Hollywood, and with his performance in Gladiator II, he now cements himself as his generation’s leading man. Bold and strong in both body and emotion, he commands the audience’s attention and holds the centre of the screen with his presence and authority. For Mescal, Lucius’s character demands a far more active and physically present performance. Still, he also taps into his ability to channel deeply resonated emotion, which is a key part of his performance. Mescal also taps into the tradition of Stoic philosophy in the journey that he must undertake as Lucuis, and through the course of Gladiator II’s narrative, you see him come to embody the virtues of Marcus Aurelius in his character’s journey and all of these subtleties and subtexts that he can tap into add to the complexity of his performance.
In addition to Mescal, Scott packs out his cast with a group of phenomenal performers, and their talent reigns in this picture. Hollywood’s current king of cool, Pedro Pascal, steps into the role of the honourable General Marcus Acacius. A soldier who has dedicated himself to the glory of Rome and who is untouchable in battle, Acacius has now grown tired of the barbarity of his civilised nation and seeks another path for the Roman state. Pascal is not only exceedingly dashing as Acacius, but his raw honesty and deep integrity craft a stoic presence that will leave every woman in the audience falling head over heels for him in the picture. Pascal’s Acacius also happens to be the husband of Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus Aurelius, who has survived the snake pit of Rome’s politics for twenty years. The beautiful Connie Nielen again returns to the role, and she has an incredible dramatic presence on screen and is a key driver to the plot’s action. And she shares a profound chemistry with both of the film’s leading men.
Bringing the villainy to the screen in Gladiator II in two dual striking performances are Joseph Quinn as the vicious Emperor Geta and Fred Hechinger as the sadistic Emperor Caracalla, and both make their mark on the narrative. Alluding to the history of ‘Romulus and Remas’, Geta and Caracalla are a pair of spoiled, spiteful and rotten princes who see the ruling of Rome as a game and who lavish in entertainments, excesses and games, despite the chaos that surrounds them. In elaborate blonde wigs, powdered faces, and gaudy togas, the two make a statement on screen, and their corruption and avarice haunt those all about them. Scott gives Quinn and Hechinger room to play on screen, with Quinn’s Geta being the more calculating of the two, while Hechinger’s Caracalla acts on pure wild impulse. Geta and Caracalla present a pair of bold and deranged new villains, and their madness holds the audience’s absolute attention on the screen.
Finally, bringing the narrative of Gladiator II together is two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington as the dominant, forceful and ruthless Macrinus. In his second collaboration with Scott, following their work on American Gangster, Washington begins crafting an absolute scene-stealing performance as Macrinus and again proves why he is one of the all-time greats. As a man who has risen from slavery to power, Macrinus is a smart, devious and brutal monster of a man who very much has his agenda at hand and who is wholly out for himself. Washington brings many layers to his performance, never revealing who he truly is until the film’s final act. Washington’s shifting nature as the character keeps audiences off guard, and it’s interesting to watch Macrinus reinterpret Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations for his pursuit of power and glory.
As a sheer spectacle, Gladiator II delivers on the full might of Ancient Rome. Sir Ridley Scott’s genius for worldbuilding and the ambience that this delivers to the experience is on full display. This picture balances heavy drama with brutal, violent action, and the narrative has a cracking pace. It is big, bold, and bloody; from the start, Sir Ridley Scott is not holding back. From an epic naval siege on the coast of Numidia to the brutal fights of the area, including Lucius taking on a charging rhino and engaging in a mock naval battle in a flooded Colosseum, Scott has expanded the scale of this picture in every direction, and the action scenes hit even harder this time around. The crux of this battle comes down to a mano-o-mano brawl between Lucuius and Acacius as they enter the arena in a fight to the death, and blood flows in this brutal battle where only one can survive. Scott has continually upped the ante with his action scenes, and Gladiator II is the culmination of his skill as a filmmaker.
However, while there is much blood and decapitations in Gladiator II, the film’s primary focus rests on exploring Marcus Aurelius’s long-forgotten idea of the ‘Dream of Rome’. This thematic idea of a golden empire left to ruin and which must be reborn, shapes the film’s narrative in very interesting ways. It’s through Lucuis’ actions that the dream of Rome forms as we watch him rise from a savage brute whose only concern is survival to becoming accepting of his name, title, lineage and destiny, and it is in this acceptance of his responsibility and calling that a hero is born. This thematic exploration of recusing the idea of Rome is shaped by all of the characters in the picture, especially those of Lucius and Macrinus, and their actions leave an impression on the audience. This heightened political tension and spark of revolution leads to plenty of dramatic tension on screen and makes the narrative’s action much more heightened.
Along with Scott’s exploration of the making of the ‘Dream of Rome’, there is this carry-over of Maximus’ calling of ‘Strength and Honour’, and these two words and their implicit meanings have a grand impact on Gladiator II and the actions of Mescal’s Lucius. This film is quintessentially masculine, and it explores the idea of the making of a hero in such minute detail. Scott has long been obsessed with the inner workings of the heroic character and has explored it through multiple projects and characters throughout his career. In Gladiator II, he takes a different path from the original film, where Maximus had to hold onto his character, values and actions as the film’s hero; here, Lucuius must discover what it means to be one. Gladiator II has a profound message of asking its audiences to stand up for their beliefs and not to turn from the righteous path. With its grand narrative and epic set pieces, this thematic messaging leaves its mark on the audience.
Gladiator II is a remarkable film created by a master filmmaker, offering an epic cinematic experience of immense scale and impact. The narrative, performances, design, action, and score all contribute to its outstanding production and presentation, immersing you in the visceral excitement of the arena. As the saying goes, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” and like its predecessor, Sir Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II will leave a lasting impression.
Image: Paramount Pictures
