Film: Gladiator II

GENRE: Sword & Sandal Epic
RATING: R for strong bloody violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 28 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers, Aftersun, God’s Creatures)
Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us); Denzel Washington (Flight, Fences)
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner, The Marian, Alien)
WRITER: David Scarpa (Napoleon, The Last Castle)
PLOT: Gladiators fight in the Colosseum as tyrannical emperors rule Rome.    

FULL DISCLOSURE: Skeptical as to why a sequel was needed.

STORY STUFF: Well, that turned out better than I thought it would. I like that they made specific connections to the first Gladiator and that this was not just a retread. I will say that Connie Nielsen has aged incredibly well for sixteen years in the film and 24 in real life. The gladiator fights and the opening battle are top notch and why it is worth the money to see on the big screen. The political intrigue drags at times and I wish people would talk a bit faster instead of milking every line. The story was fine enough but nothing amazing. I was annoyed that someone has to be schooled about Romulus and Remus as they enter Rome. How would they not know that story? Also, why did they talk about the Greek god Poseidon? The Roman god Neptune would be pissed. Also, how did they transport that many sharks into the arena? There is a maybe not intentional “I am Spartacus” moment in the script. Made me laugh.    

ACTING STUFF: I thought Denzel had a smaller supporting role. He is all over this thing and was a treat to watch. Love his laugh. Mescal does an okay job but I wasn’t drawn to him like Russel Crowe. He needs more gravitas. I enjoyed Pascal and wished he had more to do. The twin emperors were good but Fred Hechinger’s Caracalla looked like a demented Ed Sheeran.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: Ridley Scott knows how to stage a battle sequence. It kind of reminded me of Game of Thrones. The gladiator fights were well done but I was more impressed with the first one when the technology was brand new. The archers were amazing– always on target. Haven’t seen this many good shots since Katniss Everdeen. I usually don’t comment on this but kudos to the props team. There is a severed head that looks amazingly real.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like a sand and sandals flick with a good amount of blood
UPCOMING REVIEW:  September 5, A Complete Unknown