It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Gladiator entertained audiences en route to five Academy Awards (from 12 nominations) and worldwide box office success, so it’s no surprise that we're more than ready to welcome Ridley Scott’s sequel Gladiator II to theaters. The epic — which stars Pedro Pascal as Maximus’ son Lucius — is set to hit the 2024 movie calendar on November 22, so as you prepare for that “Wickediator” double feature, allow the critics to weigh in on the upcoming historical action flick.
After initial screenings, first reactions to Gladiator II had people raving about Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal’s performances in a story that takes place over a decade after Russell Crowe’s chapter. When Lucius becomes a prisoner of war, he chooses to fight as a gladiator like his father under the instruction of Washington’s Macrinus in order to exact revenge on Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). In CinemaBlend’s review of Gladiator II, our own Sarah El-Mahmoud calls the film “honorable yet disheveled.” She rates it 3.5 stars out of 5, writing:
It’s not necessarily the arrival of buzzy talents like Paul Mescal or Pedro Pascal that makes it particularly special, but Denzel Washington making his first big screen event film in at least a decade. Beyond that, the director also clearly demonstrates that he still knows how to recapture the scale of the genre as he did nearly 25 years ago – however, its Achilles' heel is there is a rushed quality about Gladiator II that unfortunately shines through.
Alex Flood of NME gives the movie 3 out of 5 stars, writing that Ridley Scott seems to be operating under the “requel” formula of giving fans enough nostalgia to keep them happy but adding a little fresh action so we don’t get bored. The results are partially successful, the critic says:
If you loved Gladiator, it’s odds-on you’ll enjoy this too. It’s got all of the same exciting bits – swordfighting, rousing speeches, nasty poshos getting what they deserve. The problem is that’s all it gives you. You want to feel like you’re watching Maximus lift off his helmet and deliver that iconic monologue for the first time again. You want the thrill of a core memory being unlocked. You want to know you’ll be quoting Mescal’s lines to your mates in the pub for the next 10 years. Gladiator 2, piously respectful as it is, can only offer a faded memory of that experience. There was a dream that was Rome, and this is kind of it.
David Rooney of THR agrees the sequel is “imitative” — more of a remake than a sequel — following its Best Picture-winning predecessor nearly beat for beat. It gets a boost from Denzel Washington, who steals the movie with a character that Rooney says is fit for his own spinoff:
The movie’s vitality gets a boost when it steps out from the original’s shadow, as it does with gusto whenever Denzel Washington is onscreen. He turns in a lip-smacking performance as Macrinus, a Machiavellian former slave now living in high style off the profits of his stable of gladiators and patiently plotting a secret agenda to acquire greater wealth and power. … Washington brings such blinding charisma, steely authority and sly humor to the role that his self-made man with a devious plan is very much his own character, one almost worthy of a standalone film.
It would be a pretty tall order to ask this sequel to outdo or even match the 2000 epic, and Kelechi Ehenulo of GamesRadar admits that it does fall short. However, a phenomenal Denzel Washington (who’s clearly having the time of this life in this role, the critic says) and the thrilling battle scenes make this worth the price of admission. Ehenulo rates Gladiator II 4 out of 5 stars and writes:
Aside from a few questionable VFX shots, the battle scenes play to Scott’s strengths, upping the ante by having gladiators face off against rhinos, baboons, and a shark-infested colosseum in a recreated naumachia battle. Whether on land or at sea, it lives up to the spectacle of being violent, bloody, and brutal, with its impeccable production design and costuming as an added bonus.
Tom Jorgensen of IGN gives it a “Great” 8 out of 10, saying Ridley Scott finds strength and honor in its predecessor but still adds enough to make the sequel feel relevant. Jorgensen also says this is a can’t-miss performance from Denzel Washington. The critic continues:
Ridley Scott balances Gladiator II’s action and drama admirably, and even though he’s treading familiar ground, Scott’s at least willing to loosen up the tone in a way that gives Gladiator II its own identity. The shadowy political battle for Rome’s fate may prove more reliably entertaining than the fantastical showdowns in the Colosseum, but both underline the importance of bravery and temperance in the face of turbulent times. They do so in the way only blockbuster cinema can: with a bunch of swords-and-sandals dudes working together to avoid death by giant rhino while a brain-rotted Emperor with a monkey on his shoulder howls from the best seats in the house.
It sounds like Ridley Scott hits a lot of the same notes in the sequel as he did in the first movie, albeit with more advanced technology to work with. Denzel Washington’s performance seems to stand out to many who were able to see the film early, but honestly it might all be worth it for the cool feature on the Gladiator II popcorn bucket. If you’ve been waiting for years for this movie to come to fruition, your time has nearly come, as Gladiator II hits theaters on Friday, November 22.
