Gladiator II
6.7
1240 Votes

Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

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Images (Posters)
Images (Backdrops)
Cast
Paul Mescal
Lucius Verus / Hanno
Pedro Pascal
General Acacius
Joseph Quinn
Emperor Geta
Fred Hechinger
Emperor Caracalla
Lior Raz
Viggo
Derek Jacobi
Gracchus
Peter Mensah
Jugurtha
Matt Lucas
Master of Ceremonies
Yuval Gonen
Arishat
Richard McCabe
Quaestor
Alec Utgoff
Darius
Rory McCann
Tegula
Yann Gael
Bostar
Riana Duce
Hyacinthia
Alfie Tempest
Young Lucius
Amira Ghazalla
Lucilla's Servant
David Ganly
Master of Ceremonies (Baboon Arena)
Richard Katz
Governor (Baboon Arena)
Amal Ayouch
Noble Bedouin Woman
Hadrian Howard
Agedilios
Chidi Ajufo
Gladiator
Lee Charles
Slovak
Brahim Ait Ben Azzouz
Centurion (Lucius' Arrest)
Maxime Rauf Ruijselaar
Centurion (Ostia)
Tom Moutchi
Brennos
May Calamawy
Macrinus' Companion (uncredited)
Details Of Movie
Music
Photos John Mathieson
Revenue 406644901
Location United States of America
Producer Michael A. Pruss, David Franzoni, Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Ridley Scott
Director Ridley Scott
User Reviews
CinemaSerf November 16 2024 02:14:36 PM

Sixteen years after "Maximus" (Russell Crowe) bit the dust, we find ancient Rome under the control of twins "Geta" (Joseph Quinn) and his brother "Caracalla" (Fred Hechinger) and thanks to their general "Acacias" (Pedro Pascal) continuing to expand their empire. It's this latter man who leads an attack on the home "Nanno" (Paul Mescal) shares with his wife "Arishat" (Yuval Gonen). That doesn't go so well and next thing, she's gone on ahead of him to the wheat fields and he's now a slave owned by the manipulative "Macrinus" (Denzel Washington) heading to the Colosseum to entertain the emperors and their cousin "Lucilla" (Connie Nielsen). What now ensues is a well produced and good looking rehash of the first film paying homage en route to "Spartacus" and it's the sheer predicability that I struggled with. It's episodically delivered with far too much script and though Mescal tries hard, his performance is largely charm-free and as wooden as a rudius, especially once the rather far-fetched familial back-story has been established. Sir Derek Jacobi sparingly appears as the other survivor from 2000 reprising his role as the senator "Gracchus" but to no real effect and the scene stealer for me is really only the megalomanic Quinn's imperial offering as he and his bonkers sibling teeter on the brink of inbred, sexually fluid, madness. Washington does well enough as the scheming slave-master, but he hasn't really enough to work with to stand out amongst what really are a mediocre collection of undercooked characters that just don't deliver any real sense of the hedonism and menace of this debauched and corrupt state. As with Sir Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005) the battle scenes are superb and action packed, as are the combat scenes in the vast marble auditorium filled with baying plebs and rhinos, but I am afraid that the shallow characterisations just didn't work well enough to keep this engaging and the plot was just too thin to stretch over a couple of hours that could have been so very much better. It really does need a big screen to appreciate the creatively crafted visuals, but I was still pretty disappointed, sorry.

Chris Sawin November 20 2024 07:01:33 AM

Gladiator II features some impressive action sequences. Every battle in the Colosseum is fantastic despite how historically inaccurate they may be. The monkey sequence showcases how skilled Hanno (Paul Mescal) is not only as a fighter but also in how he interacts with others. Then there's the rhino sequence that plays out much like Bugs Bunny’s interactions with Toro the Bull in the Chuck Jones-directed Looney Tunes short Bully for Bugs (1953). While those sequences are fairly believable, the shark sequence seems like pure fantasy and that’s why it’s so incredible. They fill the Colosseum with water and let sharks loose while the opposing gladiators try to survive the onslaught on boats. It’s also interesting to note that every major actor who dies in the film has a spectacular death. Not only that but these gruesome deaths get increasingly more grisly and memorable as the film progresses. These bloody triumphs rarely delve any deeper than someone getting shot with a bunch of arrows or a beheading or appendage severing of some kind. This level of brutality escalates throughout the film and eventually culminates with the most satisfying kill that takes two and a half hours to achieve. The performances fluctuate between being top-tier perfection and mediocre overacting. Denzel Washington is having the time of his life as Macrinus. He has the most interesting storyline and Denzel dances in every scene with a giddiness that is unparalleled. Joseph Quinn seems to be acting in an entirely different film than everyone else as Emperor Geta. His mannerisms are operatic and theatrical with his wide eyes that rarely blink, grand body language and hand gestures, and explosive line delivery. Pedro Pascal doesn’t do anything in Gladiator II as Marcus Acacius that he didn’t do in Game of Thrones apart from having more screen time. Much like how his character is written, Paul Mescal’s performance is muddled. The Hanno character and who he is is a poorly kept secret that consistently pulls the character in several directions. Hanno is vengeful at first before succumbing to being the hero of the film and the evolution isn’t earned. The writing and pacing of Gladiator II feel like the film drops Hanno’s fate in his lap halfway through, which he’s either forgotten about over two decades or never knew until the audience did. Connie Nielsen, one of the few returning actors from the original film, is awful in this. Her acting in Gladiator II always comes off as forced as her crying scenes are often portrayed as constipated grunts with crocodile tears. Her dialogue delivery is also strained and broken despite being given some of the most important sequences of character connections and reawakenings of sorts in the sequel. Calling Gladiator II action-heavy is misleading because the film drags between every fight sequence. The film is largely dull and difficult to indulge during its quieter moments. The film is gorgeous with its incredible set pieces, intricate costume design, and impressive use of infinitely numerous extras. Director Ridley Scott reunites with all of the set decorators (Sonja Klaus, Crispian Sallis, and Emilio Ardura) and costume designer (Janty Yates) that he worked with on Gladiator in 2000. From a visual standpoint, Ridley Scott's films are highly detailed masterpieces. Denzel Washington’s extravagant performance makes Gladiator II worthwhile. Still, not even its excessively violent action sequences, beautiful cinematography, and masterful set and costume design can save the sequel from how boring it is. Ridley Scott waited over twenty years to make a sequel that is more than twice as expensive as the original only to rehash the same story points.