“The Martian,” two “Alien” prequels, “House of Gucci” and “Napoleon”: In the 24 years that lie between the Oscar-winning blockbuster “Gladiator” and the sequel now in theaters, director Ridley Scott created some real masterpieces. With “Gladiator II”, the now 86-year-old Brit has achieved another great success, which will certainly give the ailing cinema industry a boost.
He doesn’t just have the right Roman nose: Paul Mescal also impresses in his acting as Hanno aka Lucius.
But why is it worth giving the 148-minute-long monumental film a chance? It is certainly not a realistic depiction of historical events. Because not everything that can be seen on the screen happened like this around 1,800 years ago. But that’s not the point. A blockbuster should be fun and keep the cinema audience in their seats. And “Gladiator II” succeeds for several reasons:
1. A worthy sequel
The film tells the exciting story of Lucius, the grandson of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla, who was brought to North Africa after the events in “Gladiator”: As the rightful heir to the throne, he was in great danger in Rome. Now, 16 years later, he lives as Hanno with his wife in Numidia, which is not entirely part of the Roman Empire. To change this, the tribune Justus Acacius and his troops are on their way there to conquer the last free city for Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla, the ruling twins.
Change settings
In the battle, Hanno’s wife Arishat dies at the behest of Acacius. The grieving and angry widower is kidnapped to Rome, where he is immediately noticed by the slave trader Macrinus. He trains Hanno to be a gladiator and lets him compete successfully in the Colosseum. There he is recognized by his mother Lucilla, who wants to end the twins’ reign of terror with her husband Acacius and some senators. Nothing more about the plot should be revealed at this point.
2. Eye-catching fight scenes
Moviegoers will thank Ridley Scott: In “Gladiator II,” the dialogue doesn’t just serve to fill the pauses between endless fight scenes. The plot is constantly moving, the scenes in the arena seem like exciting interludes. Things get very busy in the Colosseum, for example when a gladiator enters the fight on a gigantic rhinoceros. The staged sea battle on the flooded battlefield also remains in the memory.
Ridley Scott, David Scarpa and Co. did more tapping than spilling.
There are said to have actually been such water fights. Was there sharks involved like in the film? Ridley Scott is firmly convinced of this, as he recently made clear in an interview. The ancient Romans can be trusted with anything, can’t they?
3. The perfect leading man
He doesn’t just have the right Roman nose: Paul Mescal also impresses in his acting as Hanno aka Lucius. In the casting he allegedly managed to prevail against greats like Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler. It is the 28-year-old Irishman’s first major Hollywood leading role. However, he has already attracted attention several times in recent years, including in the films “Aftersun” and “All of Us Strangers”.
Denzel Washington took on the role of slave trader and gladiator trainer Macrinus. Photo: Paramount Pictures
4. A strong ensemble
In addition to Mescal, to name just a few, Denzel Washington (Macrinus) as well as Fred Hechinger and Joseph Quinn (as the crazy Kaiser twins) shine. Celebrating a reunion after 24 years Connie Nielsen as Lucilla and Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus. Fan favorite Pedro Pascal, on the other hand, is only partially taken away from the role of the old Roman. Which may also be due to the character intended for him: as tribune Justus Acacius, he rarely feels like laughing. His friendly grin therefore doesn’t appear.
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5. A captivating production
Of course: Ridley Scott, David Scarpa and Co. did more tapping than spilling. Faithfulness to the facts fell by the wayside a little. But what the heck! From Lucius’ fight with bloodthirsty monkeys to the magnificent costumes of the wealthy patricians to the crowd scenes: there is always something going on here, the camera captures details just as skillfully as the big scenes. And: You can literally feel the dust on your skin that the gladiators or trotting horses stir up. This is how popcorn cinema should be. This way and no other way!
