Does Gladiator II Live Up to the Original? Ridley Scott’s New Film Reviewed
Ridley Scott Sacrifices Story For Spectacle in Hollywood’s Latest Legacy Sequel “Gladiator II”
We live in a time where Hollywood is consistently digging up old graves and propping the skeletons of great classics back at the table, hoping we won’t notice how they’ve dusted and decayed. Recently, we’ve seen it with popular intellectual properties like Beetlejuice, Indiana Jones, Bad Boys, Halloween, Twisters, The Exorcist, Jurassic Park—the list goes on.
Though most of these sequels have been sorry shadows of their originals, there are a few that have managed to capture that same spark their predecessor had. We saw this with the 2022 release of Top Gun: Maverick, which was able to channel that same charm it found in 1986. But how does Hollywood’s latest legacy sequel fair? Does it revive that same old magic? Or does it too only exist as a sad shadow of the original?
In 2000, Ridley Scott and his talented team of creatives crafted a masterpiece that changed the world through the hearts of men. Every grown man and young boy knew the name Maximus Decimus Meridius. The original classic, starring Russel Crowe, was nominated for nearly every Academy Award you can think of. It walked away with Best Effects, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Crowe for Best Actor and Best Picture, making it one of the most prestigious films at the turn of the century.
Needless to say, the hype around Gladiator II is real. Especially since Scott and Scarpa have returned to the world of gladiators and glamour together, along with cinematographer John Mathieson, costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max. With the gang back together again, they’ll surely deliver another epic classic a la Maverick, right?
Without a doubt, the cinematography, production design and costuming are the best parts of this film. Gladiator II is a feast for the eyes. Every prop and detail has been carefully considered, from the flowers in every vase to the animal heads on every table. The sets are outstanding and marvelously decadent, the colour grading and design is exceptional and the wardrobe is nearly as fabulous as it was in Gladiator (2000).
The action is epic, the choreography is gnarly and Mescal’s dedication to the combat sequences cannot be overlooked. The film is its most entertaining when swords are swinging and slaves are scrapping, losing steam every time it leans back into its political side story. Though the original plays a lot with its tone—to the point where each act feels like a different ingredient of the same cocktail—Gladiator II carries a consistency that has it feeling more predictable than the original.
Thanks to Scott’s last film Napoleon, it seems the legendary director has few gripes in taking creative liberties with the events of history. Though the film pays homage to an iconic era of the Roman Empire, historians may find themselves overwhelmed with its inconsistencies. Meanwhile, audiences might find themselves overwhelmed with the inconsistencies in the story itself. And herein lies the problem.
The best thing about Gladiator was that it had something to say. It was a commentary on hope, on how the love one man feels for his family is something that unites all men, all people, in contrast to a character who loved only power. Maximus represented the ideal man; one who stood up for his beliefs, who was strong enough to fight his way to the top and charming enough to stay there. He had charisma and honour so tangible it made us want to follow him into battle. It made us believe in the dream of Rome, the same way he had. It made us believe that the battles we face in our own lives are worth the struggle. That we, even as slaves to a horrible system ourselves, can make a difference. A real change.
Maximus had everything a man might want—money, infamy, power, massive biceps—along with control over Rome. He struggled with the weight of that burden because he was so righteous and incorruptible that he didn’t lust after control over Rome. He wanted to be with his family. He wanted to be a husband and father. A family man. But Rome’s corruption bled through everything. It stole his family. A man who had everything; who we saw earn it, deserve it, then lose it. That’s why we champion him in his quest for vengeance. Why we followed him willingly into battle. Why we pulled on our armour and stepped into the colosseum behind him, ready to die for the dream he reminded us of. Because Maximus not only had strength and honour and charisma and power… he had heart. And that’s what’s missing from Paul Mescal’s Lucius in Gladiator II.
Mescal’s performance is being praised as ‘magnetic’ and ‘entertaining’, but he doesn’t command the screen the way Crowe did. His performance doesn’t rise beyond the words on the page. He doesn’t touch our hearts the way Maximus did in Gladiator, which is what makes the original stand so tall even after all these years. The people’s prince of independent cinema lacks the masculine gravitas that made Gladiator a classic amongst men. He might have the right amount of talent and clout to lead a studio film, but he doesn’t bring the heart we so desperately needed in order to feel that desire to follow him to Elysium.
Beyond the historical inaccuracies in the script, the ensemble were cornered by some pretty clunky dialogue. The story led us down the exact same path we witnessed with Maximus, with a few tweaks to the major milestones of Lucius’s quest. It was most interesting when it strayed from the familiar format, when it surprised us, when it brought us in close to the chaos… but the movie spends too much of its time chasing the crumbs its predecessor left behind.
It seemed as though they were desperate to use our love for the original to fuel this new story. Though it’s certainly a good popcorn movie with epic sequences and impressive action, it doesn’t stand next to the original… but in its shadow.
Watch the trailer for Gladiator II below
Paramount Pictures Canada releases GLADIATOR II, in theatres on November 22, 2024.
[Review by guest blogger Jurgen Sosa]