In a world of pointless sequels, Gladiator II seemed to be another film to add to the list. Yet, Scott’s sequel adds a more complex narrative that won’t leave many people not entertained. The film sees the return of Ridley’s Roman world set some sixteen years after the original, which it aims to keep a connection to, with the opening credits being oil paintings of Gladiator fights, a tapestry of memories, creating a mythos of the past. There is a great epicness to the film right from the very beginning. Like the first one, there is a sense of Rome’s fragile command, announcing in its prologue that the fall of Rome is imminent with tyrannous twin Emperors slowly making the people discontent. Meanwhile, Paul Mescal plays a farmer, Hanno who is captured and made into a Gladiator, but unbeknownst to them, he is Lucius, the son of Lucilla and Maximus, the rightful heir to the Roman throne.
Scott’s sequel is dealing with a lot of the same ideas, the fall of Rome is on the precipice of discussion, with back-stabbing senators and gamblers trying to fight for power as they try to crawl to the top of the food chain. Scott doesn’t shy away from showing the struggle for power and the greed for more from the richest people in society. From the childish and out-of-control Emperors who are out of control to those just below them, trying to dethrone and sneak their heads above the surface of the tight, toxic and suffocating Roman air. It is a film that uses its predecessor as a base to provide variations, like a musical reprise, it is playing the same tune in a different, more complex way with more complicated characters in the more chaotic chess board that the sequel is.
As always, Scott provides a great spectacle. It has the epicness of the great sword and sandal films with a violent bite and thrilling pace. The film is full of gargantuan action set pieces but at its centre is what all great blockbusters have – heart, motivation and emotion. Through particularly Paul Mescal’s Lucius there is a clear drive and desire to see the fall of Rome that gives the narrative enormous drive. Whilst there isn’t that much in the way of real stakes and emotional tension, it is nevertheless a fun and riveting watch that uses the original as a platform to build some emotion, with just enough nostalgia and schmaltz. This doesn’t feel like a rehash or remake but rather just pays ode to its original – partly due to there being only a few returning characters.
In Paul Mescal’s first blockbuster, he proves once again he will be a movie star for years to come. As Lucius, he leads the narrative as the resentful former Roman with a bubbling rage. Calling his former people raiders, pillagers who call it peace, tearing through anyone who stands in their way. Whilst Scott knows how to shoot action as an overwhelming spectacle with a crisper look than the 2000 original, it is Mescal who sells the action with his low, gravelly tone and depressed but survivalist nature. He is animalistic at times, prepared to do anything to outfight his component; revelling in the fall of Rome, he often ruins the glorification of the Colosseum and refuses to accept mercy. He is someone who is hateful towards Rome and has no interest in money – the Roman dream, he is someone from the outset who has nothing to lose but must fulfil his potential as rightful ruler.
Rome itself is its own character in the film. Characters often speak of the city as a sentient being, one with too many subjects, it is fat and greedy, overstuffed and lethargic. It is a city and Empire that is at its largest but most vulnerable and on the brink of collapse. The Senators and Emperors gorge out on Rhino whilst the people of Rome riot on the streets discontent with the twin Emperors who fail to serve them. The people are oppressed in the diseased city which infects everything it touches as Scott displays the fine balance between dictatorial power and the revolt of the people and finding a way of keeping the two pillars of Rome content.
One of the most impressive things about the sequel is its use of colour, particularly red, which pops in comparison to the white and cream stone it is sprayed upon. Often there are red petals on the floor giving the décor a distinctive look to display the colour of Rome but also the colour of blood and the bloodshed of the Colosseum and their advancements in warfare as they expand their Empire. Another powerful use of colour is the use of white for Pedro Pascal’s Acacius emphasising his purity despite commanding the Roman legion leading to many deaths, whilst gold and purple are used to show the extravagance of the upper-class society.
One of those draped in gold is Denzel Washington’s Macrinus in a scene-stealing and campy performance. He plays it with great over-the-top extravagance. His gladiator owner figure is almost chewing the scenery – overacting compared to everyone else that fills the screen, but this works to great effect. He is a character who understands the hypocrisy and over-indulgence of Rome and plays with it to his advantage, with a tacky gold necklace and earrings emphasising his exuberant personality. Washington commands the screen, completely in control as a political advisor and puppet master to the Emporers. Whereas Lucius has no desire to fulfil the Roman dream, Macrinus lives for it, willing to slaughter anyone who gets in his way. He makes a mockery of the political system, one where people are afraid to stand out as an outlier as he manages to convince the senate that a monkey should become a political advisor.
Whilst Denzel Washington is the highlight, there is also a wide array of strong supporting performances. Pedro Pascal’s Acacius is almost a Maximus stand-in. A Roman General desperate for a modest life, wanting to spend time with his wife Lucilla. He is remorseful in his approach to war, he takes no joy in invasion. It is his job, one that he cannot escape. Giving great complexity to a character Lucius wants to take down. Meanwhile, Fred Hechinger and Joseph Quinn’s Emporer twins are totally demonic as everyone plays up to and mocks the Upper-class Roman society.
However, what the sequel doesn’t have is the yearning bite of Hans Zimmer’s score used as a driving force for Maximus in his vengeful quest. The main theme is notably absent and this definitely could have been used to easily add greater emotional weight, especially as Lucius’s identity begins to be revealed. Whilst the sequel is more complex than the original with a surprisingly quick 140 minutes, it is certainly a lot messier. There are a lot of moving parts here and at times certain sections of the narrative are underutilised with several supporting characters with minimal screen time. Perhaps it would have been more beneficial to cut down the number of characters and focus more in-depth on fewer moving parts.
Nevertheless, Gladiator II is probably the biggest surprise of the year. After Scott’s biographical adaptation of Napoleon was a dreary flop, he delivers a strong and thrilling epic that lives up to the original and surpasses it in some aspects. Whilst there is not a huge amount thematically, there is still enough about the indulgence of the super-wealthy that makes it more than just a popcorn flick. It is not the sanitised green-screen fare but rather a more old-fashioned style of grand blockbuster that fits the nostalgic cliche of reminding you that “they don’t make them like they used to”.
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