A One Mann’s Movies review of “Gladiator II” (2024).
As I was up in London for a (very good) Mark Kermode in 3D show at the BFI, I took the opportunity to watch “Gladiator II” on the biggest screen in the UK… the BFI IMAX. Mental note… Row G is still 7 rows from the front, but a bit further back would have been better!
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Gladiator II” Plot Summary:
Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus (Russell Crowe, seen in flashback from the first film) and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) is now a young man in North Africa defending his new home against an invading Roman fleet. He is captured and thrust back into his home city of Rome and sold into the same way of life as his father was.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong bloody violence, injury detail”)
Talent:
Starring: Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, Yuval Gonen, Rory McCann, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, Tim McInnerny, Alexander Karim.
Directed by: Ridley Scott.
Written by: David Scarpa. (From a story by Peter Craig & David Scarpa.
Running Time: 2h 28m.
“Gladiator II” Summary:
Positives:
- Epic swords and sandals revisited with Rome looking more grandiose than ever.
- Bloodier and gorier than the first film.
- A superb performance from Denzel Washington, surely an Oscar nomination?
Negatives:
- Occasionally, it throws back a bit too readily to the structure of the first film.
- The reality of some of Ridley’s historical details feel a little stretched!
Review of “Gladiator II”:
An epic blast of cinema escapism.
You don’t go to see these films for the historical accuracy. This is two and a half hours of escapist action that absolutely delivered for me.
The opening scenes, with the attacking Roman fleet are impressive.
From Kermode and Mayo’s “Take” podcast: Ridley actually built three full size ships (with CGI obviously duplicating them up). And the moorish outpost that they are attacking was Ridley’s set from his 2005 film “Kingdom of Heaven” that he sold to the Morrocans for $10 and then had to rent back from them for a million dollars for this film!
The recreation of Rome, if anything, looks more impressive than in the earlier film – not surprising I guess since VFX have come a long way in 24 years.
But it’s the Collesuem scenes that really stick in the mind. Just spectacular. It’s bizarre but true that in the era of Julius Ceasar they really did flood the arena and reenact maritime battles using flat bottomed boats. This web site records that “there are records of marine life being released into the water during the naval battles and used as part of more aquarium-style displays of exotic species”. Whether that extended to Great White Sharks is probably a lot more dubious! The scene reminded me of Austin Powers but without the “fricking laser beams” attached to their heads.
Very gory.
The gore gets turned up a notch in this sequel with some very messy deaths being shown and a lot of arterial blood vessels being severed! The sight of the twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) delighting in the slaughter is exhilarating. (Again, against all expectation, Geta and Caracalla really did exist as ruling twins and they were occasionally at each other’s throats.).
Making all the arena action very believable is the physicality of the performance by a buffed-up Paul Mescal who again demonstrates why he is going to continue as a leading man for many years to come.
Washington for Best Supporting Actor?
However good Mescal, Quinn, Hechinger, Pascal, Nielsen and Jacobi are, (and they are very good indeed), it is Denzel Washington that you can’t take your eyes off. It is a majesterial performance as the cunning politician primps and preens his way to greater power. It’s the tiny little moves he makes as he strokes his rich garments lovingly that will really stay with me. I’d be VERY surprised if he doesn’t get an Oscar nod for this.
There are also fun turns from Tim McInnery as the luckless Thraex and Matt Lucas as the Colleseum’s ‘master of ceremonies’. Lucas actually plays it fairly straight for once, which is a pleasant surprise.
Have we been here before?
Kermode and Mayo report that Ridley Scott took only 51 days to make this film, which is SIMPLY INSANE. When I think back to my ‘starring role’ in “The Boys in the Boat“, my 5 second sequence on screen took a whole morning to film! And Scott does a phenomenal job in directing the film. The one thing I would note is that some of the scenes are a little too similar to those in the first film. One that stood out for me is the arrival of Lucius at the training camp in the desert via a cage on wheels. It’s almost a copy-book recreation of Crowe’s scene in “Gladiator”.
Like no baboons I’ve ever seen.
Another aspect which has received a lot of stick are the “space monkeys”, as Mark Kermode calls them: CGI’d creatures that fight the gladiators in the arena that are a BIT like baboons…. but not. You really don’t need your credibility tested like that. They could have used any ‘real’ animals in the part, CGI’d or otherwise.
An interesting score.
I’d have thought this would have been one that Hans Zimmer would have wanted to pick-up, but for whatever reason Harry Gregson-Williams does the score. It’s an interesting one, neatly embedding certain elements of the earlier score by Zimmer and Lisa Gerard but extending it with new themes. I see the soundtrack is now available on Spotify, so I will be giving it a proper listen to without the distraction of the pictures!
Summary Thoughts on “Gladiator II”
I thought this was terrific. If you park your brain a bit regarding some of the historical details, this is a hugely enjoyable romp that I found thoroughly entertaining. If I can find the time, I will go and give it a second watch… but this time in a cinema where Row G is not quite as eye-splitting!
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Gladiator II”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts0N8swyWFI.
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