Gladiator II: I Was Thoroughly Entertained

It’s tough not to be excited for Gladiator II. Sure, sequels often deserve the bad rap they get in the movie world, and that’s doubly true of sequels that come out decades after the original. But come on. Gladiator is one of the best films ever made, so at the very least, the idea of a part two is intriguing. I know I was interested to see how it would turn out, so when tickets finally went on sale, I booked a seat for opening night as soon as I got the chance.

Gladiator II was directed by Ridley Scott, and it stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. In the film, a man named Hanno leads a quiet existence with his wife, Arishat, in an African city outside the control of the Roman Empire. However, his life suddenly takes a turn for the worse when Rome decides to attack his home and expand their territory.

The imperial aggressors end up winning the fight, and as you can probably guess, they take Hanno prisoner. Soon afterwards, the man is sold as a gladiator, and when he makes his way to the capital of the empire, he becomes a champion of this savage “sport.” At the same time, powerful forces in Rome plot to overthrow the twin emperors, Geta and Caracalla, and all of these storylines come to a head in a finale that’s equal parts riveting, heartbreaking, and uplifting.

Right from the get-go, Gladiator II had me absolutely hooked. The movie starts with Hanno’s peaceful life before the Roman invasion, and the guy is instantly magnetic. Actor Paul Mescal imbues him with a benevolent strength that’s impossible to ignore, so when he addresses his fellow soldiers before battle, he’s so inspiring you almost want to jump into the screen and fight alongside him.

Unfortunately, these brave defenders end up losing the war, but Hanno never loses the charm that makes him such a great protagonist. As a gladiator, his strength (both inner and outer) is front and center the whole time, even when he’s not fighting in the colosseum, and although his benevolence is sometimes overshadowed by his rage, it’s never completely gone. It’s just an amazing performance from start to finish, so Mescal gives Gladiator II a nearly perfect emotional foundation to build on.

But as great as he is, this film is so epically sprawling even he can’t carry it all by himself. Mescal’s co-stars also need to do their part, and thankfully, they knock it out of the park as well. This entire cast is absolutely lights out, and if you ask me, the two most interesting performances (apart from the lead, of course) belong to Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger.

They play the twin emperors, and they’re pretty unhinged. Granted, these characters don’t always do overtly crazy things, but even when they’re just sitting around talking, they still have an air of unpredictability and insanity about them. You can see it in their eyes and on their faces, so whenever they’re on screen, you can’t help but sit up and take notice.

Next, let’s talk a bit about the visuals in Gladiator II. Admittedly, I’m not a historian, so you should take my opinion here with a grain of salt, but to my eyes, the sets and costumes are impeccable. This movie is like a time machine that turns the clock back almost two millennia, so if you’re like me and you love this kind of ancient setting, every frame is an absolute joy to behold.

Along similar lines, the action in this film is also pretty captivating. To take just a couple of examples, the initial fight between Rome and Hanno’s men feels like a smaller-scale version of the Battle of Helm’s Deep from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and there’s a breathtaking scene where the colosseum gets filled with water. Hanno and his fellow gladiators are forced to re-enact a famous naval battle, and if it doesn’t keep your eyes glued to the screen, I don’t know what will.

Last but not least, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a few words about the story of Gladiator II. I don’t want to give too much away, so I can’t get into any specifics, but I will say that the narrative is genuinely riveting. At first, it seems like it’s going to be a rather simple tale about a man who rides his gladiatorial prowess to the top, but it ends up being so much more than that.

Once the political intrigue comes to the fore, this movie becomes genuinely spellbinding. It takes some surprising twists and turns that I, for one, wasn’t expecting, and the various subplots come together in a genuinely satisfying way. On top of all that, the story also highlights a number of important themes, like the value of human life, so I wasn’t kidding when I said the film was riveting, heartbreaking, and uplifting.

Gladiator II is all of that and more, so in my opinion, it’s a worthy sequel to one of the greatest movies ever made. To be fair, I don’t think it’s quite as good as the original Gladiator, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s an amazing experience in its own right, so if you’re even remotely interested in this film, I highly recommend that you check it out. It’s that good.

Gladiator II is playing in theaters right now.