_{By: Amanda Guarragi}

Almost twenty-four years ago, Ridley Scott made one of the most prolific action films of all time, Gladiator. Russell Crowe’s turn as Maximus garnered critical acclaim and won his first Academy Award. 

At the time, no one thought there would be a sequel, but the possibility of Lucius, the son of Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), having a film of his own began to rise. Scott waited for the right opportunity to develop a legacy sequel with Lucius (Paul Mescal), similar to his father, Maximus. 

Scott reunites with his Napolean writer David Scarpa for Gladiator II to craft a decent story worthy of its predecessor. Lucius was sent away after Maximus died because Lucilla wanted to protect the Prince of Rome. Lucius grew up fighting to survive and often moved from village to village. 

When we first meet Lucius, he is with his wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen), and they are both called out for battle due to an incoming threat. General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) leads a fleet from Rome and overtakes the village. Mescal plays Lucius with an underlying resentment towards the Roman Empire because of their blatant disregard for humanity. 

In this first battle sequence, we see the brutality under the rule of the tyrannical twins Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn). Scott holds nothing back as the fight choreography is tight-knit and bloody. However, the issue within the first battle is the quick cuts, taking away strong visual moments during the fight sequences. Everything happened rather quickly, and it failed to make a lasting impression. 

The fight set pieces throughout, even in the Colosseum, were short-lived and poorly edited. Each fight scene in the Colosseum continued to escalate with animals that wouldn’t realistically be present in the ring. You would have to suspend your disbelief and appreciate what Scott’s doing then. Through the Gladiator trials, Scott shows Lucius’ vengeful nature and his resilience.

Once the seed is planted for General Marcus Acacius and Lucius’ feud, the game is set as Lucius battles through the Gladiator camp. A similar path that Maximus went on, Lucius does as well under the watchful eye of Macrinus (Denzel Washington). 

General Marcus Acacius is the heart of the Roman Empire alongside Lucilla because he plans on changing the tide from the inside. Pascal was the perfect choice for this character because of the kindness in his eyes and his overflowing empathy. His chemistry with Nielsen was lovely, and their objective intertwined with Lucius. 

It takes Washington’s presence to light up the screen and elevate the weak script. Macrinus holds everyone’s attention in the court because he has his hand in everyone’s business. The only reason Macrinus is the strongest character in the film is because of the way Washington layers this character. He appears to be an understanding friend and confidant towards Lucius but is also cunning because of the leverage he uses. Once Macrinus discovers who Lucius is, he uses that to his full advantage, and his objective becomes the most intriguing aspect. 

Unfortunately for Paul Mescal, this was meant to be his star-making vehicle, but because the writing for his character wasn’t strong enough, he fell into the background. No amount of powerful, rage-fuelled speeches (and a deep, attractive voice) could save the poor writing for his character. Rage and resentment can only take the lead so far, and he became boxed in. There was no room for him to grow because of his motivations. Mescal is good with what he had to work with, but it’s ultimately Scarpa’s poor writing for the character that harms his performance. 

Despite the missteps and weak script, Gladiator II is also enjoyable because of its connection to its predecessor. In ways, it is heartfelt to see Lucius recognize who his father was and how similar they are. The scenes exchanged between Nielson and Mescal worked well and cemented Lucius as the saviour of Rome. Lucius became an extension of Maximus and what the empire once was.

The twins Caracalla and Geta were manipulated and only had power because of natural succession. Quinn and Hechinger were fun to watch because of the sibling rivalry and drunken power of their status. Scott showed the manipulation tactics and the cutthroat nature of ascending the throne. It’s brutal, bloody and conniving. This is why Macrinus is the character who weaves everyone together, and it’s because of Washington’s electric performance that it worked well.