Gladiator II tries to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, but often stumbles, feeling like a rehash of the 2000 original rather than something new. The story treads familiar ground, and the visual effects can be distractingly bad, as if Ridley Scott decided to embrace outdated CGI instead of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible today. It’s frustrating to watch a film with such potential settle for being a shadow of what came before.
That said, there are parts of Gladiator II that work. Paul Mescal leads the movie as Lucius, a spry, agile warrior who is taken prisoner and forced to go through the same treacherous journey that Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) had to years prior. Mescal brings intensity and emotion to a character who goes through a familiar path full of pain and hardship. He manages to make Lucius’ struggle feel personal, even when the film itself doesn’t give him much new material to work with.
At the end of the first Gladiator, Maximus fought for a world free from Rome’s cruelty and corruption. But in this sequel, it’s clear that his efforts didn’t lead to any real change. The empire is even more chaotic, and the movie finds occasional moments of interest when exploring what it means to live in a society that feels irreparably broken.
Gladiator II introduces a very different tone compared to the original, leaning heavily into caricature and humor. Rome is now under the rule of co-Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), who are both sadistic, hilariously inept, and constantly jockeying for control in ways that feel more absurd than menacing. They lack the sinister weight that Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus brought to the first film, but the tonal shift seems intentional—whether or not it works will depend on how much you’re willing to embrace the ridiculousness.
The comedic, playful edge extends to other characters as well. Pedro Pascal plays General Acacius as an exaggerated, melodramatic sad boy, and Paul Mescal’s Lucius trades in the heavy introspection of his previous roles for a cocky, charming energy. Mescal seems to be having the time of his life here, playing a swashbuckling hero far removed from the quiet anguish that defined his performances in films like Aftersun and All of Us Strangers.
But it’s Denzel Washington who steals the show as Macrinus, a former slave-turned-gladiator trainer. Washington’s charisma is off the charts, commanding every scene he’s in with effortless swagger and intensity. Macrinus is the character most in tune with the movie’s over-the-top vibe, and Washington seems to relish every second of screen time. He’s the glue that holds this uneven sequel together, injecting energy and gravitas into a film that often struggles to find its footing. Without him, Gladiator II might have entirely collapsed under its own weight.
Aside from a few standout performances—Washington, Mescal and Connie Nielsen returning as Lucilla among them—Gladiator II struggles to justify itself from a technical or artistic standpoint. The movie is undeniably a wilder, looser experience, and you can sense that Ridley Scott is reveling in its absurdity. But where the original film brought gravitas and tactile craftsmanship, this sequel feels like a diluted version, missing the immersive qualities that made Gladiator an enduring classic.
The large-scale action sequences, once a hallmark of Scott’s prowess, often feel weightless and overly reliant on subpar CGI. The colosseum battles, meant to be a visual centerpiece, lack the tangible grit and intensity of the original. Instead of drawing you into the chaos, the staging feels artificial, as though the actors are performing against green screens with little connection to their surroundings.
And while I continue to praise Mescal for what he’s able to portray here, even his performance is undercut by the hollow visuals. Too often, he’s left to act opposite nothing, and it becomes glaringly obvious that the world around him isn’t fully realized. Rome itself is a stitched-together facade, lacking the lived-in quality that should make this sprawling epic feel immersive. Instead of drawing the audience into a vibrant, chaotic city, the film presents a setting that feels like an elaborate stage set—not a place you can truly lose yourself in.
Ridley Scott’s recent output—Napoleon, House of Gucci, The Last Duel—has been critically received to mixed results. All three are solidly constructed historical dramas, but they often feel more functional than inspired, as if they were assembled with precision but lacked a defining spark of personality. I’ve enjoyed them to varying degrees, and there’s a part of me that admires the sheer audacity of what Scott attempts with Gladiator II. You can tell he’s having fun behind the camera, and there’s something refreshing about his willingness to embrace a more unrestrained, almost chaotic blockbuster energy.
That said, Gladiator II feels like the polar opposite of those more stoic historical epics. It’s a loud, unruly spectacle, leaning heavily on the charisma of its stars without giving them enough substance to sink their teeth into. While it’s far from the worst legacy sequel we’ve seen in recent years, the film struggles under the weight of its own ambition. Its themes of power, revenge, and legacy feel overly familiar, and the visual grandeur of the original is replaced with effects that often come across as superficial. The film’s attempts at scale and authenticity fall flat, with much of the spectacle feeling like empty calories.
But then, there’s the sharks. Yes, Gladiator II features a colosseum filled with sharks, and that absurdity alone earns the film a few bonus points. It’s ridiculous in a way that makes you wonder if Scott is winking at the audience, reminding us not to take it all so seriously. While it’s hard to call the film a triumph, moments like that show why, even at his most uneven, Scott remains a fascinating filmmaker to watch after all these years.
Score: 6/10
Gladiator II (2024)
- Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Tim McInnerny
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
- Runtime: 148 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: November 22, 2024
More Movies Starring Paul Mescal
Paul Mescal has starred in the following movies:
- The Lost Daughter (2021)
- Aftersun (2022)
- God’s Creatures (2022)
- All of Us Strangers (2023)
- Foe (2023)
- Gladiator II (2024)
More Movies Starring Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington has starred in the following movies:
- Malcolm X (1992)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- Training Day (2001)
- Inside Man (2006)
- American Gangster (2007)
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
- Gladiator II (2024)
More Movies Directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott has directed the following movies:
- Alien (1979)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Thelma & Louise (1991)
- Gladiator (2000)
- The Martian (2015)
- The Last Duel (2021)
- House of Gucci (2021)
- Napoleon (2023)
- Gladiator II (2024)
