“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius.” Back in 2000, this one sentence made history in the cinematic world and to this day, Gladiator is considered to be one of the finest pieces of cinema ever created. Now, after 24 years, a sequel to this epic movie has been released in theaters revolving around Maximus’ son. Even though watching the plot of the movie go down is as entertaining as it gets, there is a stench of staleness you can easily sniff up if you’ve been a fan of the original movie. So, without wasting much time, let’s take a look at how Gladiator 2 turned out in this review!
Gladiator 2 Feels More like a Remake Rather than a Sequel
Gladiator 2 is a movie that stands decently on what you would expect from it. As the movie proceeds, you can draw parallels between the original Gladiator and Gladiator 2. The way the story carries itself at the skeletal level seems almost like a replica of the original film. In Gladiator, Maximus is fueled by the death of his wife and son, and in Gladiator 2, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is by the death of his wife. The conversations between Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Lucius also draw an exact parallel with the ones she had with Maximus in tonality.
Now, I’m not saying that the movie has nothing original to offer, but it feels like the scriptwriting has been a bit lazy on some parts. I think that in pursuit of creating a sequel for one of the most beloved movies of all time, the writers ended up making it all over again with a little bit of artistic liberty.
The CGI Work on the Movie Was Dissatisfactory
In my mind, I had a feeling that if Gladiator did so well with CGI work back in 2000, Gladiator 2 would kill it with the kind of technology we have today. However, the reality was rather disappointing. Even though this movie is quite high budget, the CGI work we see is disastrous.
For instance, let’s talk about the scene where Lucius and the others had to fight those wild monkeys. The way those animals were designed they looked more like aliens than monkeys. On-screen, it seemed like it was not even the final render and the case was the same even with the rhino and the sharks. However, it was not a complete letdown the practical effects we see in Gladiator 2 are well done. Be it the sets or combat setting, it all stood well to my expectations.
With Some Nicks Here and There, the Actors Did a Good Job
The most important part of any movie is the actors’ performances. However, in the case of Gladiator 2, the acting part is a two-edged sword. If we talk about Paul Mescal as Lucius, there’s both good and bad going on there. First off, in the original Gladiator movie, Russell Crowe as Maximus is a walking embodiment of masculinity as it was back in that era. His stare, mannerisms, and everything else were what you’d expect to see from a warrior.
However, in the case of Paul Mescal as Lucius, rather than being projected as a warrior, he brings in a more noble presence on screen. Yes, he is one hell of a fighter but he lacks the intensity one would expect to see from the son of the legendary Maximus Decimus Meridius. Other than that, his emotional range in the movie only traverses from rage to sorrow. Honestly, I don’t hold Paul Mescal accountable for it since it’s more of the screenwriter’s fault that these two situations are all where Lucius finds himself.
Moving on, I don’t think I need to tell you folks that as usual, Pedro Pascal killed the role of General Marcus Acacius. He first appears at the very beginning of the movie where his armada of ships is headed towards the North African province of Numidia to conquer it. Initially, we think of him as a bad guy but soon it’s revealed that he is a very noble man who is bound by his duty and is planning a coup to overthrow the current tyrannical rulers of Rome and restore order.
I’m not even kidding when I say that for a moment you would feel like you are watching a real Roman General instead of an actor playing one. I’m telling you the acting range of this man needs to be studied and preserved.
Washington Denzel Deserves a Special Mention for His Performance
Now the cherry on top was none other than Washington Denzel as Macrinus. In my opinion, his performance was the absolute best in the movie. Denzel’s experience with performing plays by Shakespeare seems to have helped him greatly to play the role of Macrinus. He is basically a slave trader who buys prisoners of war who can fight and turns them into gladiators for his profit.
However, his ambition for power is far greater than this. He is intelligent, cunning, knows what to say, is uncanonically charming, and most of all he would not hesitate to stab you through the heart moments after telling you that he has got your back and will look into your eyes while taking your life.
To me, Macrinus was the perfect villain since he would disguise himself as a friend and you would not even know what hit you, and when it did, it’s going to be too late. If nothing else, Gladiator 2 has given us a villain to remember and Denzel Washington deserves all the praise there is for his work.
So, Is Gladiator 2 Worth Watching?
The short and sweet answer to that is, yes, you should watch Gladiator 2. Now I know that I pointed out all those flaws in the movie but overall, I assure you that Gladiator 2 will not fail to entertain at any point. This movie has its moment where you will lean forward in your seat hyper-focusing on what is happening on the screen.
If we look at it from the point of a sequel, it neither ruined the franchise nor greatly leveled it up just painting a picture that maintains the dignity of Maximus and the love Gladiator fans have for him. With that being said, I would like to conclude this review of Gladiator 2 by saying that even if the apple did fall slightly far from the tree, it remained in the tree’s shadow.
