“Gladiator II”: One More For The List of Pointless Sequels

Twenty-five years after the release of the acclaimed Gladiator, Ridley Scott comes back to bring us a sequel we did not need.

Summary

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors of Rome, Lucius swears revenge on the people who destroyed his life. But to find strength and honor to achieve this, he must make peace with his tumultuous past and prove his courage in the dangerous Colosseum.

What the Original Gladiator Did Right

If you remember the original film, you can see that the script managed to establish all the characters and conflicts in the first few minutes.

We meet a Maximus who has everything: he is a brave and intelligent general who is respected and admired by Rome, even by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius himself. He is dutiful and noble, ready to fight for what he thinks is right. But the thing he wants the most is to go back to his wife and child. The envy of Commodus, the emperor’s son, cost the life of Maximus’ family. From them on, our protagonist only lives for one thing: revenge.

*Russell Crowe delivered a memorable performance as Maximus Decimus Meridius in the original film.*

Watching all this makes you empathize with the character and completely connect with his journey. Russell Crowe’s performance is key, but the script gives him the power to win the audience’s favor.

Gladiator II offers nothing of the sort. Lucius is an underdeveloped protagonist, and the rest of the characters are not given clear storylines and motives, which the original film explored in the first twenty minutes. By the point tragedy stroked Maximus’ life, you could look at the rest of the characters and know who was who, what they wanted, and where their loyalties lay.

Where Have I Seen This Before?

Lucius conflicts are suspiciously similar (or identical) to the ones that Maximus faces in the original film. He is a good man who does his duty, but war takes everything away from him. His wife is killed, and he swears revenge against the man who caused this. Ridley Scott plagiarizing Ridley Scott?

*Paul Mescal portrays Lucius, a character we had seen in the original film, and becomes the protagonist in the sequel.*

Of course, being sent away by her own mother and the fact that she is now married to the man he has sworn to kill provide some additional drama. But truth be told, all these things are developed in a very superficial way, so we’re basically watching a recycled plot.

Much Ado About Nothing

I’ve seen plenty of people praising the production and costume design, but I did not like them at all. Gladiator came out in 2000 and it looks a lot better. I found the costume design and makeup especially underwhelming. Some characters look like they are going to a costume party. I don’t see General Acacius; I see Pedro Pascal dressing up as a Roman. The emperors just look like clowns.

*Denzel Washington plays Denzel Washington, but his charisma makes his character a little more interesting.*

The animals made with CGI don’t look great either. And there is a particular scene where a close-up of a severed head is shown. The intention of the scene is to be shocking, but the head looks so fake that it makes you laugh instead. I dare say Terrifier has shown more realistic severed heads with less money.

The soundtrack is irrelevant; you don’t even notice it’s there. In the original Gladiator, music is an essential element of the story. In fact, the film would not be such a spectacular experience without it. Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, who composed the music for the original, did not come back for the sequel, and it shows.

The Performances

While the cast does not do a bad job at all, the script severely limits them. Paul Mescal is alright as Lucius/Hanno, but he does not have Russell Crowe’s presence. Even with a better-written story, he would be condemned to stand in Crowe’s shadow.

Maybe the most entertaining performance is the one of Denzel Washington. Not because of the quality of his interpretation, but because he is the only one who has a personality.

Maximus’ Sacrifice

But the point that I find more annoying, even though it has become normal for sequels, is that Gladiator II renders parts of the first film useless.

When Maximus dies, after defeating Commodus, the film presents this as a new beginning for Rome, the end of tyranny. That is why he is considered a great soldier, a hero, someone deserving of honor and respect. However, the sequel shows us that nothing has changed. And if nothing has changed, then Maximus’ death becomes pointless.

Critical Reception and Box Office Results

Gladiator II opened with $55.034.715 domestically. We’re now on Wednesday, and it has reached $67.207.811. When it comes to the international box office, it must be considered that in some countries the film was released a week prior, so we’re looking at the numbers of almost two weeks instead of just one weekend. So far, The Numbers reports $165,221,262, which sets the global results at $232.429.073.

The question is: how strong are these numbers really? Variety reported a production budget of $220.000.000, while other sources speak of $250.000.000. Last week I even found sources that claimed Gladiator II had cost over $300.000.000. One way or another, it’s clear that the film needs to make at least $600.000.000 to have a chance. The project has had a relatively good reception, so unless ticket sales fall too low for its second weekend, it might get there. We must also remember that now it will compete not only with Wicked, but also with Moana 2, which will probably take many screens away.

*The fights in the Colosseum are not nearly as epic and exciting this time around.*

I had the chance to watch Gladiator on a big screen (in my country it was re-released a couple of weeks ago, I believe with the intention of attracting more people to the sequel), and it was truly an incredible cinematographic experience. It was exciting and moving in a way only great films can be. There was nothing there that could be improved or expanded. But of course, Hollywood had to try.

And yes, Gladiator II will probably bring some money to the studio, but once it leaves theaters, no one will remember it existed. That is why, for me, these modern sequels are just a reminder of all that we have lost in terms of art and culture. We don’t produce things to last anymore, and that’s a sad truth.

Is it the worst movie I’ve seen this year? No, of course not. I’ve seen much worse. But still, for a continuation of such a memorable film, Gladiator II is an underwhelming and soulless project.