With both of those additions to the franchise, Gladiator II<\/em> is also campier, which fits well with the revelry and excesses of Rome in its downswing. Its setting in the third century A.D. finds us still two hundred years away from the fall of the empire, but twin emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), are hungry for both pleasure and power without much concern for their people. Eager to expand their reach without thought of the costs, they send General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) in a campaign to Numidia. There, in modern-day northern Africa, his army defeats the \u201cBarbarian\u201d forces and captures slaves, including Lucius (Paul Mescal). After Acacius orders the death of his beloved in battle, the young soldier craves revenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s always a woman,\u201d Lucius later says to one of Gladiator II<\/em>\u2019s two stand-ins for Gladiator<\/em>\u2019s Djimon Hounsou character. Like Maximus before him (and scores of other pop culture heroes motivated by fridged wives and girlfriends), he is motivated by the desire to avenge his slain love. He works to ascend the ranks of the gladiators owned by Macrinus (Washington) and fight in the famed Coliseum. Lucius pretends not to be from Rome, but he quotes Virgil and has the archetypal Roman nose, so it\u2019s unclear who he\u2019s fooling, but it\u2019s not the audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Only two actors return from the original \u2014 Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi \u2014 but Gladiator II <\/em>often feels like more of the same. Scott still knows how to helm a big historical epic, and while this is far more consistently compelling than last year\u2019s Napoleon<\/em><\/a>, it\u2019s nowhere near as good as The Last Duel<\/em><\/a>. Gladiator II<\/em> also doesn\u2019t equal Gladiator<\/em> in quality, but its battle and fight scenes are more legible and just as exciting. CGI has gotten markedly better in the quarter century since the original film was released, but there\u2019s still some dodgy effects work here and there, particularly in the appearance of a CGI monkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That scene \u2014 where Mescal\u2019s Lucius and his fellow gladiators take on a troop of monkeys \u2014 is typical of the film; it\u2019s big and bold and not a little silly. It\u2019s later bested by a water battle in the Coliseum that features fucking sharks, because both the Roman Empire and this movie don\u2019t know how to do anything small. While Gladiator II<\/em> is certainly not a better-made movie than Gladiator<\/em>, it\u2019s a more entertaining one. That simultaneous decline in quality and ascent in enjoyment probably says something about contemporary society and its unfortunate parallels with Ancient Rome, but it was likely not an intentional statement by the filmmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As much fun as the audience has with this ridiculousness, Washington is having an even better time. His Macrinus might not be the emperor, but he wields great political power in Rome and enjoys all the benefits of his ranking. Washington is absolutely game, grinning and delighting in the role and almost making up for the movie\u2019s flaws. Meanwhile, Mescal, who has been such an emotional force in films like All of Us Strangers<\/em><\/a> and Aftersun<\/em>, is less magnetic in this turn. And it\u2019s not just that he\u2019s sharing the screen with Washington and a predictably strong Pascal; he might bring the necessary physicality to the role of a gladiator, but his performance lacks the intensity required for Lucius and his quest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Motivations for characters\u2019 actions are sometimes opaque, with little explanation beyond just POWER and VENGEANCE. The script from David Scarpa is pretty dumb at points, and there\u2019s nothing quite as indelible as Maximus\u2019s big line of, \u201cI will have my vengeance, in this life or the next!\u201d That moment is referenced, along with plenty of other nods to Gladiator<\/em> and classics like Spartacus<\/em>. These mostly just serve as reminders that this is a fine enough movie, but it won\u2019t join the essentials in Hollywood\u2019s version of Elysium. It\u2019ll likely just live in the purgatory of Paramount+. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Gladiator II” is in theaters this weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/gladiator2-2-1024x576.jpg\")
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