Gladiator II jumps the shark—and the rhino, and the rabid baboons. All three creatures are part of the menagerie in this sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe. Returning director Ridley Scott, working from a screenplay by David Scarpa, employs a familiar playbook for movie follow-ups: copy the first film and just add more. More animals, more battles, more emperors. And the result—as is often the case—is less. Once again an enslaved muscleman (Paul Mescal) finds himself fighting not only for his life in the Roman Colosseum, but for the very soul of Rome itself. What that exactly means is for more wishy-washy this time around, despite many, many conversations among characters about the topic. And while much time is spent on how Mescal’s Lucius—who is captured in Northern Africa—is connected to Rome in general and Crowe’s Maximus in particular, it often feels as if his personal journey takes place in a different reality than that of the political intrigue that otherwise defines the movie. Among those scheming and conniving are Connie Nielsen (returning from Gladiator), Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington. Washington has the most fun, swishing about in dangling jewels and flowing robes, while Mescal—one of our best young actors—struggles to define Lucius outside of Crowe’s shadow. As for the relentless fights and battles, I found them to be increasingly tedious—even the wild ones with animals, given their reliance on CGI effects. I don’t know that I needed another Gladiator; I certainly didn’t need a Gladiator-Jaws mashup.
(11/11/2024)
