Nearly 25 years after Gladiator, Ridley Scott has gone back to the well… and this time there are sharks in the Colosseum. In Gladiator II, Russell Crowe, who played Maximus in the original, is only seen in a couple of quick throwback scenes. But even with the focus squarely on his son, Lucius (Paul Mescal), Maximus is still revered.
The action starts 16 years after the death of Maximus. Rome is a place of great discontent and corruption is rife. Two tyrannical Emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) thrive in violent capture of territory. The conquest includes General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who leads his troops to bloody victory in Numidia. Lucius is living there (where he’s known as Hanno) as a Numidian, and has married a local woman, Arishat (Yuval Gonen). They’re both warriors in the Numidian army. In the pitched battle against the Roman forces, Arishat is killed; while Lucius is taken captive, and forced into slavery.
He becomes the property of the power-hungry Macrinas (Denzel Washington), who sees him as a meal ticket because he’s such a good fighter. Consumed by rage, Lucius is not only strong physically, but he uses his smarts, which sees him defeat his opponents. It leads him to the greatest challenge – the Colosseum – where the competition remains fierce. One by one though, adversaries fall and Lucius/Hanno becomes the people’s champion. Lucius is reunited with his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). She hasn’t seen him since he was 12, when she sent him away to try to protect him. Meanwhile, a plot is afoot to try to unseat the highly unpopular dual Emperors and give Rome back to the people, where all can live under fair law.
Gladiator was highly acclaimed when it burst onto the scene. It’s stood the test of time. But I’m not convinced this sequel will. The plot is predictable (possibly because its basically a re-hash of the original). Still, Scott has made sure it looks impressive. Battle scenes are bold and inventive. Costuming and settings provide appropriate (if not accurate) period detail.
Paul Mescal makes a good fist of the lead role (he has a certain gravitas), which you could argue was a thankless task after Crowe’s performance. Denzel Washington remains an ever-present force. He dominates the scenes he’s in, as he does in all his movies. Pedro Pascal presents Acacius as world weary; while Connie Nielsen is dignified and angst-ridden as his wife and Lucius’ desperate mother. The Emperors are played as foppish figures revelling in the misery of others. So, too Matt Lucas, who orchestrates proceedings in the Colosseum.
Ridley Scott has retained the epic nature of the original in this sequel, although I’m still not convinced a follow-up was necessary.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.