Susan Granger’s review of “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
After “Gladiator” (2000) won an Oscar as Best Picture, Ridley Scott waited more than 20 years to return to Rome’s ancient Colosseum to film “Gladiator II.”
While the first “Gladiator” focused on Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe), this follow-up introduces Lucius who, as a sensitive 12 year-old in Numidia, was forced to leave his aristocratic family, go into hiding and ‘forget’ his identity.
Growing up on the coast of North Africa, capable Lucius (Paul Mescal) was ready to fight when Roman legions – under General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) – invaded Numidia, killing his wife and taking him to Rome as a slave/prisoner.
His extraordinary courage and combat skills are immediately spotted by sleazy Macrimus (Denzel Washington), a Machiavellian gangster/gladiator wrangler who buys him, realizing Lucius’ swaggering, crowd-pleasing potential in the arena.
Meanwhile, weary General Acacius returns home to his wife Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), daughter of late Emperor Marcus Aurelius, confiding his disgust with the despotic tyranny of simpering, sadistic twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Carcalla (Fred Hechinger) to Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) and others, which inevitably places him in harm’s way.
And you don’t have to be much of a soothsayer to figure out Lucius’ relationship to Lucilla, tracing back to her liaison with the fabled gladiator Maximus.
Written by David Scarpa, Peter Craig & David Franzoni and photographed by John Mathieson, it’s a sword-and-sandal, cinematic spectacle, featuring ferocious baboons, a saddled rhinoceros, and savage sharks. The latter are part of an elaborately staged naval battle in the flooded Colosseum pit, credited to production designer Arthur Max, who did extensive research at the Museum of Roman Ships of Fiumicino.
Above all, it’s redemptive comeback for 86 year-old Ridley Scott after duds like “Napoleon,” “House of Gucci,” and “The Last Duel.” And it should nab a Best Supporting Actor nomination for scene-stealing Denzel Washington.
FYI: If you want to revisit Scott’s original epic “Gladiator,” it’s available on Paramount+ or purchased digitally on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango At Home, and Apple.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Gladiator II” is an eye-popping, barbaric 8, playing in theaters.
