Following classic movies years later with a sequel rarely works out. In this age of cinema that runs mostly on nostalgia, it has been tried many times without reaching the same heights as what passed. Director Ridley Scott is the latest set to try to live up to his pass triumphs with a sequel to his 2000 Best Picture winner Gladiator.
Set 16 years after the first installment, Gladiator II begins by introducing us to Hanno (Paul Mescal) who is living in Numidia with his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen). The Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) soon invades Numidia, conquering the land and with Acacius killing Hanno’s wife in battle. Hanno is taken as a slave and forced to become a Gladiator in the service of the Roman elite Macrinus (Denzel Washington). Hanno agrees to continue fighting in the Colosseum for Macrinus in exchange for eventually getting his chance for revenge against Acacius. As he climbs the gladiator ranks, Acacius’ wife Lucille (Connie Nielsen) recognizes something familiar on Hanno and seeks to find the truth of his origins and potential connection to her former lover and legendary gladiator Maximus and their child Lucius. Meanwhile, Macrinus has shadowy plans of his own for Lucius which involve the Roman Senate and Rome’s twin Emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).
From the opening frame of Gladiator II, its stunning visuals stand out and immediately grab your attention. The film features elaborate and well executed production design ranging from the characters’ wardrobe to the sets that are used. Scott also utilizes visual storytelling to great effect, ranging from his use of striking black and white photography and sepia color grading for flashback scenes to a wide shot of Lucius during the third act where he physically acts as the bridge between to separate factions of the Roman army calling for a united Empire on the precipice of war. The visuals create a picture of Ancient Rome that helps to make the film more immersive and something you can’t take your eyes off of.
Structurally, the way in which the film handles the two mysteries at the core of its plot are well executed and do a great job of building intrigue and pulling the audience into the story. The truth behind Lucius’ background and parentage is breadcrumbed well with hints dropped gradually for both the audiences and the other characters in the film to pick up on work out while Lucius simultaneously shares a little more each time the subject arises. The same holds true for the shadowy origins of Macrinus and the role they may play in the games he is playing within the Roman elite society. The machinations, manipulation, and gamesmanship are entertaining to watch unfold and keep Gladiator II moving at a deliberate pace that makes the film’s two and a half hour runtime seem substantially shorter than it is as you see the powerful Romans jockey for position in attempt to seize power with Lucius’ physical ferocity utilized as a weapon in that effort. The viewer becomes invested in seeing Macrinus’ plan unfold and the palace intrigue that Macrinus, the twin Emperors, and Senate Thraex (Tim McInnerny) are all ensconced within is the perfect complement to the action in the film and Lucius more straightforward question for revenge.
The deliciousness of this subplot can also be largely attributed to the scene chewing, otherworldly performance of Washington as Macrinus, commanding the screen every time he makes an appearance. Gladiator II was at least partially expected to serve as a vehicle for the continued rise of Mescal’s star, and while he performs capably here, this film is completely Denzel’s and he is what makes it work as well as it does. His depiction of a villain who is supremely skillful in manipulating people covertly while masking his true intentions is impeccable and once his background and motivations are revealed, the monologue in which he does so feels like an earned payoff rather than something that was unnecessarily delayed, in large part due to how Washington delivers the reveal. Washington’s Macrinus menaces through cunning and meticulousness making the execution of his performance paramount and the veteran delivers.
The motivation behind his thirst for power within Rome fits the film’s thematic focus on revenge. Vengeance is what fuels Lucius’ rise as a gladiator as he seeks to avenge the death of his wife at the hands of Acacius and we learn that it is also what fuels Macrinus’ determination to conquer Rome. Particularly in the case of Macrinus, this theme had the potential to contain a substantial amount of depth in light of his background and how he came to be a Roman elite, but Gladiator II eschews any in-depth character study on his motivations and background that would have given the character added complexity. The same holds true for how Macrinus’ story and opposition to Lucius as a lost son of Rome could have been more strongly juxtaposed against each other to highlight their roles as antagonist and protagonist. It isn’t fully a missed opportunity as the villain still manages to compel within the context of an action epic, but the lost opportunity for the film to reach even higher heights is still noticeable.
If audiences engage with Gladiator II on its own terms, they’ll find the film to be a crowd pleaser with a good balance of action set pieces coupled with some twisty palace intrigue elements in a story centered around revenge. Paul Mescal performs capably as the lead, but in terms of performances, this film clearly belongs to Denzel Washington who chews scenery and appears to be having the time of his life as a charismatic, manipulative villain with a bit of a backstory. That backstory as well as Lucius’ could have been better explored to elevate the film even further, but it remains worthwhile in spite of that slight misstep. Gladiator II is a worthy successor to its predecessor and worth a trip to the big screen.
Image: Paramount Pictures
