Gladiator II review - With fantastic fights, solid performances and an uninspired plot, Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated sequel is a mixed bag

Sharks, rhinos and mutant monkeys unleash hell on a new generation of gladiators in a film full of action, but lacking emotion.

Image: Paramount Pictures

When I heard 86 year-old Ridley Scott was making a follow up to his beloved, multiple Oscar winning Gladiator, I was sceptical. Seeing the trailer for Gladiator II only deepened my concern, its liberal re-use of Maxumus’s (Russel Crowe) most iconic lines from 24 years ago suggested the film might be built on a foundation of nostalgia, rather than quality.

But despite a recognisable plot line and familiar characters, Gladiator II is still a lot of fun.

A failure to hit the emotional high-notes makes Gladiator II unlikely to echo in eternity in the same was as its predecessor, but it delivers on the epic, gruesome colosseum fight scenes that leave the audience thoroughly entertained. And, after all, is that not why we are here?

The film opens in Numidia, north Africa, where Lucius (Paul Mescal) is preparing to defend his town from an invading Roman fleet, led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal). After a lengthy battle scene, the Romans are victorious and Lucius is taken captive while mourning his wife’s death in battle. Having proved himself a formidable fighter through a series of trials, Lucius is soon bought by power-hungry arms dealer Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who sees the budding gladiator as his ticket into the senate. The two come to an agreement: Lucius will help Macrinus get close to the crazy twin emperors (Fred Hechinger and Joseph Quinn) by winning high-profile fights in the colosseum, and in exchange Macrinus will give Lucius the opportunity for vengeance against General Acacius.

Does that sound familiar? That’s probably because it’s essentially the same plot as Gladiator. But despite the familiarity and predictability of the story, Gladiator II still feels as though it lacks clarity. The emotional beats seem like an afterthought, some of the larger-than-life characters veer dangerously close to parody, and at one point Lucius changes his fundamental worldview so quickly that I wondered if there were a couple of scenes missing. The decision to resurrect some of Gladiator’s greatest hits actually makes reasonable sense in the context of the story, but Mescal, who brings admirable physicality to the role, struggles to emulate Crowe’s charisma as a leader of men. On top of this, there are enough anachronisms to give historians a heart attack. Even as somebody who rarely thinks about the Roman Empire, I found children playing football or someone perusing a cafe’s menu odd details to include.

But, somehow, none of this really matters.

The plot, which is almost single-handedly propped up by a remarkable performance from Washington as a scheming entertainer-turned-politician, is really just a foundation for the excellent fight sequences. It reminded me of a 90s action film - if you set aside concerns about character motivations, cliche plot lines and chronological mistakes, Gladiator II is a fantastic popcorn movie. The visuals of ancient Rome are stunning, and some great stunt work and solid CGI gives the gladiatorial battles a real weight and sense of jeopardy. Some of the historical exaggerations, from the cartoonish emperors to sharks swimming around in a flooded colosseum, also work well given the film’s extravagant tone. Is adding sharks to the naval battle in Rome’s famous stadium (which really did host naval exhibitions, by the way) historically accurate? Not really. Does it make the scene more fun? Absolutely.

Gladiator II doesn’t set out to be historically accurate or particularly profound, it aims to entertain for two and a half hours. And on the big screen, with surround sound and a large popcorn in hand, it certainly achieves this goal.