“Are you not entertained?” shouts Russell Crowe’s Maximus in one of the many iconic scenes in Ridley Scott’s 2000 masterpiece, 'Gladiator'.
And entertained we were – 'Gladiator' was adored by audiences and critics alike, becoming a box office triumph and winning five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe’s moving portrayal of the ill-fated gladiator. Plans for a sequel were immediate, but as the saying goes, 'Rome wasn’t built in a day' and nor is a Ridley Scott sequel.
More than 20 years later, Scott has finally returned to the colosseum with 'Gladiator II' with only Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla as the remaining original cast member. . . Spoiler alert – most faced a bloody end in the original film.
In what appears to be an act of convenient retconning, Lucilla’s son Lucius is revealed to now be the secret son of her former lover Maximus (Crowe). Two decades have passed since Maximus’ fateful battle in the colosseum and in that time Lucius, who was sent away by his mother out of fear he would be killed, has settled in Numidia, where he grew up and married. But as fate would have it, all roads lead to Rome and a now adult Lucius (played by Paul Mescal) is brought back to the Eternal City, after the Roman Army led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invades his home.
Lucius’ insatiable anger towards the Roman Empire brings out a wild fighting quality in him which catches the eye of the power-hungry Macrinus (Denzel Washington); a former slave who plots to control Rome and believes Lucius is 'his instrument' to achieve that dream. Lucius denies his identity as the rightful heir to Rome – an Empire he despises; and willingly accepts his role as gladiator in the hopes of getting his revenge on the Roman Empire and in particular Acacias, who to further complicate matters is now married to Lucius’ mother, Lucilla.
The plot treads similar water to the original film, once again we have a grieving husband who has been turned into a slave and then a gladiator, who plots revenge against the Empire; but Scott does include some twists on usual tropes and plot devices to keep the story somewhat fresh. The scale is also bigger. There are naval battles in the colosseum, freshly shaven baboons (brought to life with some terrifying though not-quite-polished CGI) and instead of one chilling Emperor (Joaquin Phoenix in the original film), Lucius is up against two.
Joseph Quinn’s Geta and Fred Hechinger’s Caracalla are bickering and bratty siblings, who both appear unfit to rule and are strung along by Washington’s Macrinus – who serves as this film’s main big bad. Washington’s portrayal and his character’s excessive jewels, majestic capes, and statement earrings steal every scene he’s in. His icy, cold performance as the conniving Macrinus who seems to have Rome falling into the palm of his hands is the highlight of the film, while Joseph Quinn is also captivating as the manic Emperor Geta; and Fred Hechinger will have you squirming as the unhinged Caracalla. Pascal and Nielsen are serviceable in their supporting roles, but don’t have much to work with or do; and Mescal is convincing as a reluctant hero, but even for him it seems the stakes aren’t as high as they were for his predecessor in the original. Despite being an heir and the son of Maximus; his character seemed at peace with leaving Rome, his mother, his birthright, and empire in tatters; until fate brought him back. It’s not until very close towards the end of the film that he is driven to save Rome and the Empire from the tyranny of its emperors and continue the mission that his grandfather, mother and father risked their lives for in the previous film.
While 'Gladiator II' might lack some of the heart and originality that its predecessor had, it is armed with incredible performances, stunning costumes and majestic sets, marking a welcome return to the sword and sandal cinematic epic. Lucius’ story arc also ends on an interesting narrative point that would make for a drastically different third instalment in a potential 'Gladiator' trilogy.
After all, there’s no place like Rome – and if Ridley Scott and moviegoers agree with those box office receipts, then we could be back in the arena sooner than we think. Entertained and all.
