Gladiator II, despite being entertaining to watch, is a disappointing return to the Colosseum.
Gladiator II Synopsis
Gladiator II is set years after Gladiator, Lucius (Paul Mescal, Aftersun), now grown up returns to Rome as a gladiator. Under the tutelage of Macrinus (Denzel Washington, American Gangster), Lucius must fight in the Colosseum to earn his freedom. Meanwhile, Lucius’ mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman) enacts a power play for the future of Rome against its two emperors – Geta (Joseph Quinn, A Quiet Place: Day One) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger, Thelma).
Return to the Colosseum in Gladiator II
With Gladiator II, director Ridley Scott returns to the world of Rome after twenty-plus years. The result? A flawed, but overall entertaining return. Despite this, Scott continues to flourish in the director‘s chair. Inarguably, Scott does this by delivering an intense and ferocious spectacle. Case in point, the film’s incredible action sequences are not only bloody and entertaining. They also leave you on the edge of your seat. Moreover, Scott and director of photography John Mathieson allows the camera to flow through the battlefield.
Mathieson’s cinematography highlights the splendid set pieces by production designer Arthur Max. Max manages to maintain a sense of authenticity and realism. This extends to costume designers Janty Yates and David Crossman. They deliver on the period specificities of the costumes. Along with that, Yates and Crossman also make the costumes functional and easy to fight in, allowing for heightened action.
The Real Culprit
Editors Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo bring the movie in at a running time of two hours and twenty-nine minutes. Which should be plenty of time to deliver the spectacle and then some. Yet, this is not the case. Sadly, Simpson and Restivo drag the pacing of the film to a bitter crawl. This is namely notable in the first third of the movie. However, this is not Simpson and Restivo’s fault. Rather, a piece of the blame has to go to screenwriter David Scarpa’s script.
Working from a story by Scarpa and Peter Craig, the script fails to balance the film’s epic scale. Instead, the script comes off more like a CW pilot. While there are some good ideas and concepts, the script refuses to use these ideas properly. Additionally, it does not provide any central characterization. So, this results in the characters feeling like two-dimensional archetypes rather than three-dimensional individuals.
Performances in Gladiator II
When it comes to the performances, most of the cast delivers good performances. Led by Paul Mescal as Lucius, they evoke a standard of being just good enough. This is in large part due to Scarpa’s script. A prime example of this is with Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius. Pascal brings out a sincere performance. He balances the character’s honor and duty. However, the script barely gives him material to work with. Meanwhile, Mescal is solid as Lucius. He attempts to replicate Russell Crowe in the original. But, sadly Mescal never reaches it. Rather, Mescal comes off as very bland.
As for Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger’s Geta and Caracalla, both Quinn and Hechinger displayed a wicked sense of mania. Additionally, they show a level of ruthlessness. Connie Nielsen returns as Lucilla. But she comes off as dreary and uninterested in her performance. Finally, that leads us to the film’s standout – Denzel Washington. As Macrinus, Washington brings a level of gravitas and energy to the role. He also adds in a degree of cunning. His chemistry with Mescal, Quinn, and Hechinger exhibit a mentor/mentee-like relationship.
Final Thoughts
Ridley Scott finally returns to Rome with the latest film Gladiator II. Ultimately, the movie is a disappointing, but entertaining follow-up. The cinematography, costumes, production design, and Scott’s direction shine gloriously. However, this comes at the cost of a mediocre script by Scarpa. So, it affects the majority of the cast’s performances. Save for Washington, who excels at everything regardless of the material, the cast flounders for depth. While entertaining, Gladiator II is a dissatisfying return to the Colosseum for Scott.
