Sg.hu – Gladiator 2 – Ridley Scott is old, but not old

Sunday, November 17, 2024 10:17 p.m

The sequel to Gladiator isn’t nearly as bad as the preliminary news made it out to be.

Ridley Scott has put many classic films on the table and Gladiator is one of them. The Gladiator, which made Russell Crowe famous, which brought the so-called sandal films back into vogue. And the Gladiator, from which it was revealed that carriages were powered by gas bottles even then in Rome. Many believe and believe that not every movie needs a sequel. The Joker is a perfect example of this, but presumably Prisoners of Hope or Death Row would also suffer from the release of a sequel.

In the sequel to Gladiator, Hanno, a warrior living in Numidia, loses his wife and is imprisoned while defending his city. However, this does not stop him from planning his blood revenge against General Acacius, who led the Roman army in battle. Macrinus, who has advanced from slave to noble, helps him in this, but he has his own plans for the young man and his unquenchable anger.

The story may be quite familiar, as it contains many elements that were already in the first one. And this is no coincidence, Scott goes to safety at the beginning of the film and so of course we get a summary about Maximus under the main title, the film starts with a huge battle, then the betrayal takes place and Rome and the Colosseum are also introduced. The figure of the former slave/mentor may also be familiar, but here Denzel Washington plays Macrinus – very well. We feel throughout that this guy would do anything for power and proves it with every move he makes throughout the film.

Washington licks the role and although he sometimes overplays his role, this only makes him even better suited to Rome, which is already inhabited by many golden youths. Especially since we are in the age of the twin emperors and Geta and Caracalla are not feared by their subjects because of their sanity. They radiate indulgence and madness, and fortunately both actors, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, do a great job. Both can be hated from the first moment.

The main character, Hanno, is a bit different. Paul Mescal plays the role of the angry man who only wants revenge very well. We feel his pain and as we learn about his past, everything starts to fall into place. We even get an answer to the question asked in the first part and it is also related to Maximus. Pedro Pascal is still great, you can see the pain in his eyes, the broken man who was once the hero of Rome.

The 250 million dollars allegedly spent on Gladiator II is very visible. Rome is simply brilliantly painted, the clashes are extremely spectacular and the CGI is not disturbing either. The battles are painted very well on the canvas, the naumachia, i.e. water battle, which took place in the Colosseum, where even a couple of sharks appear. Although the film is more than two hours long, time passes quickly, perhaps too quickly: a few more scenes were needed to explain some incomprehensible things in order to understand the changing motivations of the characters. Because the changes are not good for the actors, especially the protagonist Mescal, who does not really feel the character, if he is not angry.

It’s a bit of a looker, but I’m puzzled by the many negative reviews and low scores because I don’t think Gladiator II was made for it. The story is exciting, the characters are good, the visuals are top-notch and it didn’t lose its predecessor either. So for those who liked the first part, definitely give the movie a chance, but of course don’t expect miracles. This is the film of an old Ridley Scott, who made Napoleon, and not the younger one, who tightly directed The Falcon in Peril or The Winged Bounty Hunter. 6,5/10