There are a lot of ways that “Gladiator II” feels like the copy of a copy.
The original “Gladiator” was itself a distillation of all of Hollywood’s sword and sandal epics that had come before it. It was gritty and violent, as director Ridley Scott leaned into a “realism” that was more about vibes than historical accuracy.
But here we are, nearly 25 years later in a world where legacy sequels are clearly a thing, getting a movie that doubles down on both the original’s successes and flaws.
The events in this film are tied much closer to the original movie than I anticipated as we find ourselves back in a Rome that was, in fact, not liberated from despotic oppression by the actions of fallen gladiator Maximus (Russell Crowe), but is now under the thumb of even more unhinged twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).
The true heir to the throne is Maximus’ son Lucius (Paul Mescal) who lives in exile and fights anonymously against the very empire that produced him.
When the city Lucius is defending is captured by the Romans and their reluctant general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), Lucias is taken as a prisoner of war and sold into slavery as a prospective gladiator to the cunning Macrinus (Denzel Washington).
Lucuis proves himself to be as effective at gladiatorial combat as his old man and swears vengeance against Acacius, a vow that is complicated further by the fact that Acacius is now married to Lucius’ mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).
With Scott back in the director’s chair, “Gladiator II” is at its most thrilling when the blood is flowing. Sure, he’s back to playing fast and loose with historical details that instead of just staging a naval battle in the flooded Colosseum (which did happen) he throws some man-eating sharks into the waters (which decidedly did not happen). It’s so ridiculous that it’s kinda cool.
So while we’re clearly not here for a history lesson, “Gladiator II” trips up even further with a plot that is more convoluted and creaky than its predecessor.
The elephant, er, gladiator riding a rhino in the room is Washington. Denzel is just way too good for this part. Acacius is a one-dimensional character and in lesser hands you wouldn’t stop for a minute to question his motivations. But Washington plays him with such depth, dimension and intelligence that if his goals aren’t crystal clear, it sticks out here like a sore thumb.
The well has been so dry at the movies this year that any slightly-above-average cinematic spectacle feels like an event. At the very least, you will walk out of “Gladiator II” entertained – but you won’t be much else.
“Gladiator II” is rated R for strong bloody violence.
