Gladiator 2 (2024)

Gladiator II (2024)

 

6/10

Starring

Paul Mescal

Pedro Pascal

Denzel Washington

 

Directed by Ridley Scott

 

This is an ok movie, fun to watch, I cannot say if it is worth your time or not, but not seeing this movie will not be written that you missed a masterpiece.

Now in case you want to be surprised, about who Lucius is, then do not read on because everyone who knows about this movie already does, so for you Spoiler Warning below.

The movie takes place sixteen years after the events of the first movie Gladiator (2000), Maximus (Russell Crowe) is dead, and now we see the events after his death. There was shared knowledge in the first movie, that Maximus was the father of Lucius (whose mother is Lucilla), and this movie shows us that Lucius was sent away by his mother to protect him from assassins.

This movie fails to rise above its predecessor. The first Gladiator movie was a 10/10 in my book, this movie had more action scenes than it, to make up for the lack of a deep story. But even though the action and blood were more, the lack of deepness in the plot hurt the movie overall feel.

For me, it was like, they took the first film and decided to redo it, but change some things.

The main eye-catching thing about this movie is Denzel Washington. Another sad thing about this movie for me was, when it started, and I heard the intro music, I was like Hans Zimmer is back. Later as the movie progressed, I felt, this isn’t Zimmer, then did my check and realised he did not come back to score the movie, because he did not want to.

The plot to me was the only led down in this movie, it was like the action was the focus and the plot, no matter how half-baked, was wrapped round it.

Lucius is living in a land called Numidia, which got invaded by the Romans, and he was enslaved. He was then and the rest of the slaves were taken to a stable, where Macrinus noticed him, and took him under his wing.

Lucius had a goal to kill General Acacius, because he led the army that invaded Numidia where his wife was killed in the invasion. So, he is on a revenge hunt, and was promised that he will get his time for revenge if he rises in the Gladiator ring. As you can see, all these are just ideas from the first film.

So we get to watch, just like in the first film, the plot to reign in Rome, the plot losing its grip, the Gladiator getting his fight, and the end where that is the only thing concerning more death that they decided to change.

Sitting down to watch this movie is a decision to not compare it to the first film, because it does not measure up to the first film’s plot, acting and depth.