Review: ‘Gladiator II’ swings high, misses historical mark

Yana McGuire 

Staff Writer 

Fans have long awaited the sequel to the epic historical action film “Gladiator.” For 24 years to be exact. Will the mob be entertained? Ehh…probably not. To understand why Gladiator 2 doesn’t live up to the hype, one must first understand why the original was so good. 

The story begins in Rome in 180 AD. The conquering general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) learns that Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) will name him successor to the throne.

The emperor’s son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), kills his father, Maximus’ family and plans for the general’s execution. Maximus escapes death, only to be sold into slavery, where he becomes a gladiator. His skills from war earn him a spot to face Commodus on the Colosseum floor. Compelling story, right?

DreamWorks released the visually pleasing film on May 5, 2000, and it became the year’s second highest grossing film, raking in 465.5 million dollars worldwide. It also snagged five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe. The fact that Phoenix did not win for best supporting actor is still beyond my understanding, but I digress. 

Over the years, the film’s director, Ridley Scott, noticed how well the movie aged and made it his mission to see the follow-up movie through.”

Gladiator II follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), grandson of Marcus Aurelius, who lived under the alias Hanno for 16 years following the death of Maximus. After the African kingdom he was hiding in was conquered by the Roman army under the command of General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) and the death of his wife, Lucius was sold into slavery to Macrinus (Denzel Washington). On top of all that, the deranged twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) conquer the home of his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). Subsequently, Lucis goes on a journey of vengeance similar to Maximus. 

The good

Recreating epic performances like Crowe and Phoenix seems impossible. This may be the reason Washington, who can command any movie he graces, was added to the cast. 

Although Washington’s character was so loosely based on the real life Macrinus that it was borderline disrespectful, Washington’s performance embodied the true essence of the intellectual madness Rome was experiencing at that time. 

To my surprise, Mescal’s portrayal of Lucius was stellar. As soon as he hit the screen, you could see Maximus’s mannerisms and characteristics oozing out of him. Not in a cringey copycat sort of way though. It came across as if Lucius were truly Maximus’s son, making the confusing movie trailer plot reveal actually believable.  

The bad

The original Gladiator is considered to be the film that revitalized historical epic films to be popular today, despite Maximus being a fictional character and the real-life story of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus being completely changed. The fact that many historical accuracies, like the opening war scene, weapons and armor, made the original film great.

The inaccuracies in the sequel were so rampant that even the intricate details were overlooked. In a battle scene, weapons that had not been invented yet were used. Cafés offered coffee to characters even though Italy knew nothing of coffee before the 17th century. Newspaper prints were not invented until the 1400s, yet a Roman noble, way ahead of his time, browsed the front-page news. These minor details may seem small to some, but this will be a turnoff if you want an epic historical film to be, well, historical. 

The ugly

Let us start with the obvious. The coolest factual aspect of the Colosseum was ruined by possibly the most unfathomable inaccuracy in movie history. The Romans staging mock naval battles in the Colosseum are true, so the naval battle scene could have been epic. However, adding sharks to the scene diminished that possibility. There was no way that sharks would be captured, transported, and used in any battle. Did 200 AD Romans even know sharks existed? This far-fetched detail made it hard for me to take any scene that came after seriously.

The confusing movie trailer plot revealing Maximus as Lucius’ father was never explained. We were just told and expected to accept it, making the plot weaker than it could have been. Other story explanations were also left up in the air, giving off the vibe that either a lot of the movie was left on the cutting room floor or the focus was on battle scenes, not the storyline. Either way, it left me unfulfilled.

The rating

Overall, the movie was beautifully shot and surely met the visual expectations. The seamless exchange between flashback scenes from the old movie and the modern-day CGI enhancements allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the storyline and its surroundings.

There are many old movie quote references. If you haven’t seen the original, it is imperative to watch it first. Will Gladiator 2 satisfy the nostalgia craving fans have suffered through for over 20 years? Yes, for sure.

 Is it worth paying high box office ticket prices for? Definitely not.

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