gladiator.movie

“Gladiator II,” which came out on Nov. 22, was released 24 years after the original.

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for great movies. Twenty-four years after his tour de force “Gladiator,” director Ridley Scott is back with “Gladiator II.” 

I approached the movie with mixed feelings due to my general wariness of sequels, paired with my love of the original film. However, my worries were quickly assuaged by the quality and exhilarating nature of “Gladiator II.” 

The sequel takes place 16 years after the events of the first film.“Gladiator II” opens with a grand battle scene with the Romans staging a naval invasion of a fortified Numidia. Hanno (Paul Mescal), a captured Numidian warrior, is bought by gladiator aficionado Macrinus (Denzel Washington) and forced into gladiatorial slavery to satisfy the sadistic tendencies of a failing Rome.

Almost a quarter century after the first film, it is truly amazing to see how advanced CGI and special effects have become. There is simply nothing like seeing a technologically advanced film in theaters. The film’s augmented faceoffs in the Colosseum and grand naval battle scenes, which were completely absent from the original, were especially breathtaking to see. Additionally, the cinematography and scenery, specifically shots of ancient Rome, were stunning. 

Like the original, the movie is filled with gory scenes. Yet, even for the faint of heart, it is worth it to stomach watching the movie.

Just like the original film, the sequel has a compelling, star-studded cast. In particular, Denzel Washington’s portrayal of a power-hungry, manipulative Macrinus was spectacular, perfectly exhibiting his genius as an actor. Actor Paul Mescal’s performance as gladiator Hanno, although good, did not live up to Russell Crowe’s Maximus, the original gladiator in the first film.

To me, the new film feels more dialogue-heavy than the original. Both have multiple quotable lines. Yet, the monologues and conversations between characters were well-written, never suffering from cliches or wordiness. (Good acting certainly didn’t hurt.).

I also greatly appreciated the details incorporated into the film to make it feel more historical and to emphasize important themes. The quotes from Virgil’s “Aeneid,” for example, that were incorporated into the film emphasize the importance of foundational Roman civic virtues and the hardships characters must endure to preserve them.

Admittedly, much of the second film’s plot lacks originality, with several moments being essentially refurbished scenes from the first film with different characters and modern special effects. Yet, “Gladiator II” is captivating on its own, and it is easy to forgive and forget these redundancies; it is to be expected that a film attempting to portray the same period of Roman history will prominently feature catapults and the Colosseum.

“Gladiator II” serves as a powerful film that might just be Ridley Scott’s new piece de resistance, perhaps being even better than the original film. Although it is a sequel, it is in many ways a stand-alone film. Even without watching the original, one can easily understand the plot well and enjoy the movie, and it was definitely worth the wait.