Gladiator II
Film Review by Ekow Daniels
Sword and sandals epics are by nature huge affairs. ‘Ben Hur’, 1959 and ‘Spartacus’, 1960 were two of the costliest movies in their time. ‘Gladiator 2’ is no exception. With a reported budget of between $250 and $310M, it is, by far, the costliest movie of its kind. Far more than the original.
One would expect that at more than double the cost, you’d get double the thrill, but that’s not always the case. Directed by my favorite director, Sir Ridley Scott, who helmed my personal all-time favorite movie ‘Blade Runner’ as well as ’Alien’ and the original ‘Gladiator’, this latest effort treads all too familiar territory.
The story takes place circa 209 AD some 16 years after the deaths of Emperor Marcus Aurilius, Maximus Decimus Meridius and Commodus. Exiled prince of Rome, Lucius Verus Aurilius, a child in the previous movie, is now a man played by Paul Mescal. Lucius is captured in battle and becomes a prisoner of war when his city is sacked by a ferocious army loyal to grotesque twin Emperors Geta and Caracalla. Lucius is forced to fight as a gladiator under the auspices of Denzel Washington’s Macrinus. Once again, the fate of Rome is at stake and one man is tasked with saving it.
The film borrows liberally from the first one, making it feel like an old worn again. The action scenes are bigger, the CGI is more vivid and pushes the envelope a little by adding wild monkeys, rhinos and sharks into the mix, but the results are less satisfying.
Scott repeats the mistake he made in 2005’s ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ where he failed to cast a compelling lead. Paul Mescal seems overwhelmed as the star. However, he is surrounded by a seasoned cast including the aforementioned Washington, who is a distinctly 21st century figure with the accent, strut and swagger to match, rendering him a bit of an anachronistic presence. Having said that, he’s clearly having a blast chewing up the scenery in this role as an Iago-like chaos agent. There’s also the welcome return of Sir Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus and Connie Nielsen as Lucilla and the addition of Pedro Pascal as General Acacius.
The original Gladiator was memorable in many ways including its score. This one has a score that echoes its predecessor instead of besting it. The film looks great, thanks to the work of cinematographer John Mathieson, but it’s not as gritty as the original. After a 24 year wait, Gladiator 2 doesn’t quite match the vim and vigor of its prequel. That said, it’s definitely worth a peek.
Overall rating: 3/5
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