Gladiator II review

 

The original Gladiator movie starring Russell Crowe is an all time epic movie. It was absolutely huge and now over 2 decades later Director Ridley Scott returns to the franchise with this hefty, courageous sequel. Starring Paul Mescal as a mysterious almost barbarian like man who has his whole life turned upside down when his homeland is invaded and taken over by the Roman Empire. He loses pretty much everything in a frantic and brutal opening act. Once the Roman Empire has him and various others as theirs they're forced to compete in the various areans before having to enter the Colesseum and fight for their freedom. It's a very similar setup to the original and does a good job of making you care for Mescal's character. 

Also along for the ride or should I say fight is Pedro Pascal who plays a courageous and outspoken General to the two Emperor's of Rome who are as corrupt and vicious as they are bloodthirsty. His perfromance is excellent leading to a confrontation within the Colesseum that really needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Denzel Washington is also here in a very villainous role, starting out as a friend to Mescal's character who aids him by getting him into the Colesseum his performance becomes more and more sinister and his plans for the Roman Empire are revealed and it's not a pretty picture at all. 

Gladiator II is a worthy follow up to the original in a lot ways. In others it falls short like Paul Mescal whose performance is good but nowhere near the level of Russell Crowe in the original. He does do a lot physical stuff and passes it all with flying colors but something just still feels off to me. That being said when it is good Gladiator II is great, with a fantastic score / soundtrack it is an epic experience that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. A hetic and at some points loopy film going experience. Gladitator II is well worth checking out. 

★★★★