Synopsis
Rabid mammoth monkeys, a ginormous rhino, and … sharks! Sharks, for chrissakes! OK. Deep breathe. Just forget all that.
The original Gladiator was monumentally successful at the box office and is still a favorite among movie addicts who enjoy a good revenge story bursting with both historical detail and thrilling action. The hero, General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), is betrayed by the evil Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and his family is murdered. But Maximus escapes, is captured by a slaver, and returns to the Roman Colosseum as a gladiator with his sights set on now-emperor Commodus. A simple story of betrayal and revenge.
The new Gladiator II is yet another revenge story bursting with historical detail and thrilling but occasionally ridiculous action. Sixteen years after Maximus and Commodus kill one another in the arena, the hero, Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal), is a simple farmer in a Numidian coastal city. When Roman general General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) launches a naval assault on his city, Lucius leads the defense but is wounded and his warrior wife is killed. Lucius is captured by a slaver, and returns to the Roman Colosseum as a gladiator, with his sights set on the general. A simple story of loss and revenge.
From the first scene, director Ridley Scott links the two heroes. Farmer Lucius is running his hand through a basket of harvested wheat, echoing the dying Maximus’s vision of himself walking in a field and running his hand across ready-to-harvest wheat. Similarities like these are nice nods, and they justify comparisons between the two.
The original Gladiator was praised for its period detail, winning an Oscar for visual effects. Gladiator II amps up the detail, depicting Rome as even dirtier and more chaotically crowded. But its impact is undercut by the outlandish CGI creatures for Lucius and his fellow gladiators to battle in the arena. Why?
Similarities also exist in the underlying narrative of well meaning Roman citizens plotting to save this idealized vision of ancient democracy. Just as Rome suffered under the deranged Commodus, Gladiator II’s Rome suffers under the rule of twin emperors, demented but lucid Geta (Joseph Quinn) and the merely demented Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Both are unstable pieces of work, insensitive to the suffering of the Roman citizens and capable of any brutality to remain in power.
Like Gladiator, however, the most fascinating and powerful performance belongs to the slave trader, this time Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who shares none of the idealistic visions of the Romans and sees Lucius and everyone else as tools to promote his rise to power.
See It
Well, let’s give it this: It’s entertaining. The storyline and the characters are just interesting enough for us to want to see their ending – happy, or otherwise.
The biggest flaw is one that you can sympathize with. You take for granted that little in a Hollywood historical spectacle is ever genuinely authentic. But in the original Gladiator, the gladiatorial duels were tense and choreographed in a way that seemed plausibly authentic. How was Gladiator II to compete with those iconic battles? Director Scott chose not to. The CGI critters are egregiously campy, and are completely out of place in a story that wants to appear more grounded.
Unlike Crowe and Phoenix, the cast won’t be receiving any Oscar nods for their serviceable but unremarkable performances. Paul Mescal as Lucius doesn’t have the gravitas of Russell Crowe and often seems dazed, even when he’s not being knocked about. Pedro Pascal’s most challenging task is to grimace knowingly to try and project that “I’m really a good guy” vibe to Lucius. Connie Nielsen reprises her role well enough as Lucilla, Commodus’s sister and now wife to Acacius, who has a secret it’s easy for us to guess.
Ah, then there’s the charismatic Denzel Washington, who commands the attention of the audience just as he commands the attention of the Roman senate. He starts as a bit of a puzzle and morphs into a monstrous force as he tries to “save” Rome by subverting the last shred of citizen representation. He manages to be both oddly likable and repulsive, often at the same time. Worth watching just for his turn.
You may also (slight spoiler coming) be disappointed when we’re gearing up for a real battle between Roman legions as compensation for those ridiculous creature battles, but that’s derailed by a completely forgettable speech.
Consider it a matching set worth watching together. Gladiator’s virtues make up for Gladiator II’s shortcomings. So despite some merely serviceable performances and laughable creature effects, the gritty Roman streets and Denzel’s Washington’s mesmerizing performance in Gladiator II will be worth your time … once it hits streaming.