Gladiator II

11/22/20242h 28m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Prepare to be entertained. ~

Overview:

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.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$310,000,000.00

Revenue:

$462,180,717.00

Key words:

gladiator
roman empire
ancient rome
sequel
3rd century
evil tyrant
sword and sandal
sword fighting
second part
arrogant

Cast

Paul Mescal

~ as ~

Lucius

Denzel Washington

~ as ~

Macrinus

Pedro Pascal

~ as ~

General Acacius

Connie Nielsen

~ as ~

Lucilla

Joseph Quinn

~ as ~

Emperor Geta

Fred Hechinger

~ as ~

Emperor Caracalla

Lior Raz

~ as ~

Viggo

Derek Jacobi

~ as ~

Gracchus

Peter Mensah

~ as ~

Jugurtha

Matt Lucas

~ as ~

Master of Ceremonies

View full cast & crew

Reviews (14)

MS
Manuel São Bento
Written 1 year(s) ago
8
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/gladiator-ii-review-a-legacy-sequel-that-triumphs-through-spectacle-and-emotion/

"Gladiator II may not achieve the groundbreaking impact of the original film, but it remains an impressive cinematic experience, transporting audiences into an epic filled with emotional and visual grandeur.

Ridley Scott once again showcases his mastery in blending narrative, action, and thematic depth, delivering a sequel marked by superb technical execution and standout performances, particularly from Denzel Washington. Despite the inevitable comparisons to the classic, the iconic filmmaker presents a story that justifies its existence, even if it treads familiar ground.

Necessary or not, what truly matters is the strength (and honor) with which a work captivates us - and here, Gladiator II triumphs."

Rating: A-
Dean
Written 1 year(s) ago
1
Another trash Woke movie from Hollywood. There were never black (African) emperors in Roman empire... This movie is simply false propaganda.
griggs79
Written 1 year(s) ago
8
Gladiator II, a polished echo of the original, is a testament to Ridley Scott's cinematic powers. It follows his hit-and-miss Napoleon biopic last year, which was rather miss than hit. The sequel captures the original's essence while introducing elements, making it a worthy successor.

Paul Mescal in the lead role - inherited from the ever-growling Russel Crowe, who was at the top of his career in the original - holds his ground against Denzel Washington, whose charisma cleaves through the screen as effortlessly as his character's sword.

Ridley Scott admits he was prompted to revisit Gladiator by the acclaim he received from those too young to have seen the original on the big screen. His mission to lure Gen Z away from their streaming devices may help to save cinema, ushering in a new era of appreciation for the big screen. But for the love of Jupiter, I hope they quickly learn that it isn't just a big iPad with comfy chairs. No pausing, swiping, mid-film selfies, dashes to the bar, or running commentary required. Screen four at your local cinema isn't the Colosseum but a place where the magic of film of this scale truly comes alive, offering a unique and immersive experience that can't be replicated at home.
r96sk
Written 1 year(s) ago
9
'Gladiator II' is awesome!

I only watched the original three years ago, almost to the day in fact, but I was anticipating this follow-up after thoroughly loving the Russell Crowe film. Honestly, I think I kinda enjoyed this sequel more - at worst, the two are on the same level, for me anyway. Crowe is missed, though everyone in this movie more than makes up for his (obvious) absence.

This is the first time I've seen Paul Mescal act, despite knowing of him for quite a while now. I'm impressed! He delivers a showing of great strength (pardon the pun). Pedro Pascal is very good too, as is Joseph Quinn; I wasn't instantly sold on the latter when he appeared onscreen, though when all is said and done I rate his performance positively.

Denzel Washington... what a geezer. I'll never tire or turn down the chance at seeing that man act. Needless to say, given he's one of two favourite actors of mine, I loved his performance all the way through. The likes of Fred Hechinger and Connie Nielsen merit fair praise as well, interesting to see Rory McCann and Matt Lucas in there too.

Oh, and the score... superb! Deafeningly grand.
CinemaSerf
Written 1 year(s) ago
6
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.

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