Gladiator II movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Gladiator II

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 28 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

SPONSOR of Today’s movie review:

Gladiator [4K UHD STEELBOOK + Blu-Ray + Digital Copy]

Link: https://amzn.to/3AT36RP

IN A NUTSHELL:

The first Gladiator movie with Russell Crowe earned 5 Academy Awards and deserved them all. It is a tough act to follow but Sir Ridley Scott wanted to go for it! I just re-watched last month in preparation for this sequel.

Fans of the first movie showed impressive enthusiasm for this sequel: when the first trailer came out, it received 128 million views within the first 24 hours! The film offers some Easter eggs to its devoted fans, such as Maximus’ shield, sword, and ring. Nice!

Already, the movie has been nominated for a couple of awards for cinematography and Best Original Score.

The sequel is about Lucius, whose home was conquered by Roman soldiers. Tyrannical emperors now lead Rome, relishing in the many gladiator shows in the great Colliseum. Lucius fights for revenge and freedom.

THINGS I LIKED:

The story goes that Paul Mescal took his shirt off to reveal his buff physique while doing the play A Streetcar Named Desire in London. Some Paramount Studio executives in the audience were impressed with him, as well as how enthusiastic the women in the audience were about him! When I first saw Aftersun, I never would have guessed that Paul Mescal would become the next Gladiator!
Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington was excited when Sir Ridley Scott told him he had written a tough-guy role for him in this film. He’s the only one in the movie with an American accent; everyone else uses a British accent. Denzel was criticized for his British accent when he did the 1988 film For Queen & Country, so that might have factored into his decision to not do it again. Apart from that, Denzel gives a great performance, elevates the cast, and even provides some humor to the film. Do we smell another Oscar nomination headed his way?
The first few scenes of the film immediately made me feel like Ridley Scott loves this story and franchise, carefully protecting its visual continuity so it belongs to the first movie.
The dramatic cinematography by John Mathieson was extremely effective.
Wow, those fighting babboons! Intense! We also see other animals in the battlefield.
All of the fight sequences are brutal. During the very first week of filming, six crew members were accidentally burned. If you’re looking for lots of action, you’ll be happy with the quantity of fight scenes and close-up, gritty shots.
We see a few characters from the first Gladiator movie: Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, and Sir Derek Jacobi.
I’ve been to Rome a couple of times. Everything about it is bigger than life. It was fun to see how the movie recreated the glory days of Rome in the set design. The set designs were built in Malta and Morocco and look amazing.
If you don’t like this sequel, check out the other version that was written by Russell Crowe and Sir Ridley Scott many years ago! It’s super creative!
This feels, sounds, and looks like an epic Hollywood blockbuster.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some of the explosions and fireballs looked totally fake.
Sharks in the Collesium? Unrealistic but very creative!
Some have complained that the leading gladiator should have been more engaging. We didn’t really get to know him in the beginning, but we knew we were supposed to cheer for him. Paul Mescal did a good job but he’s no Russell Crowe in this role.
The trailer revealed some plot points that could have been a fun surprise for audiences if they hadn’t already learned about them.
Some of the dialogue isn’t as elevated or compelling as it should be.
Some of the story points seemed like a simple rehashing of ones in the first movie.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

There is a lot of bloody, gory violence.
Tons of battle scenes with a very high dead-body count
Various weapons are used.

THEMES:

Justice
Strength
Honor
Power
Revenge
Survival
The dream of Rome
The value of life
Vengeance

FUNNY LINES:

None. This is a very serious drama.

INTERESTING LINES:

“Where you are, I am too.” – Lucius (Paul Mescal)
“Do not let them change what you are.” – warrior (Peter Mensah)
“Remember who you are.” – Lucilla (Connie Nielsen)
“I remember that day. I never forgot it: that a slave could take revenge against an emperor.” – Lucius (Paul Mescal)
“Did you hear that crowd? The greatest temple Rome ever built: the Colosseum. Because this is what they believe in: power.” – Macrinus (Denzel Washington)
“There are victories yet still to come.” – Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn)
“Rome has so many subjects. She must feed them.” – Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) “They can eat war!” – Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger)
“The arena turned slaves into gladiators. Then, gladiators into free men.” – Lucius (Paul Mescal)
“Death will be too good for you.” – Lucilla (Connie Nielsen)
“There is plenty of pain waiting for you in the next life. I don’t know why you are so greedy for it in this one.” – Ravi (Alexander Karim)
“Rome must fall. I need only give it a push.” – Macrinus (Denzel Washington)
“Strength and honor!” – Lucius (Paul Mescal)
“I don’t fight for power. I fight to free Rome from men like them.” – Lucius (Paul Mescal)
“Everything is forgotten in time. Empires fall. So do emperors.” – Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal)