Shadows on the Wall | Gladiator II

Gladiator II

dir Ridley Scott
scr David Scarpa
prd Lucy Fisher, David Franzoni, Michael Pruss, Ridley Scott, Douglas Wick
with Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, Tim McInnerny, Yuval Gonen, Rory McCann, Alexander Karim, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas
release UK 15.Nov.24,
US 22.Nov.24
24/UK Paramount 2h28

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After a beautifully animated "previously on Gladiator" prologue, Ridley Scott gets on with another properly enormous epic. Even with beefy characters and meaty dialog, David Scarpa's screenplay scrimps on depth, which creates come corny moments along the way. But the spectacle is seriously impressive, and the actors rise to the occasion, giving towering performances infused with political intrigue, family secrets and the urgent need to kill their enemies.

It's 16 years later, and Lucius (Mescal) is happy in North Africa with wife Arishat (Gonen) when General Acacius (Pascal) invades, taking Lucius back to Rome as a prisoner. An impressive fighter, Lucius catches the eye of Macrinus (Washington), who sends him into the Colosseum as a gladiator. Now married to Acacius, Lucilla (Nielsen) is unnerved to see her long-lost son again, while the poxy twin emperors Geta and Caracalla (Quinn and Hechinger) thrill to his violent feats. But Lucius only wants Acacius' head, and he finds himself being used in a larger power play.

From the opening battle, Scott paints this story on the biggest possible canvas, with huge crowds and epic settings. Characters move with dramatic intent, either bellowing lines forcefully or whispering with underlying ferocity. The film also harks back to the 2000 original with flashbacks and other details. This unsubtle filmmaking is enjoyable, because it eliminates pesky grey areas, filling the screen with soaring passion and intensity. But there are also odd cutaways that promise something a little nuttier, although they never go anywhere.

Lions are now passe in Rome, so this time there are rhinos, sharks and some ugly digital baboons to battle. The effects are impressive, but it's the characters who pull us in, most notably Mescal's Lucius and Washington's Macrinus. Each of them has internalised motivations that shift as events twist, which makes them engagingly complex. Pascal has a remarkably bristly presence as the earnest Acacius, while Quinn and Hechinger are wonderfully slimy. And the ensemble's lone woman, Nielsen skilfully grapples with her shockingly underwritten role.

There's clearly an effort to both expand upon and echo the original film's beats, including the astonishingly gritty fight sequences, shifty political manoeuvring and a series of rousing speeches. This story stands on its own as a depiction of resilience and tenacity on both sides of the coin, as some characters are striving for honour while others want power. So if the ultimate message is somewhat muddled by the contrived narrative, this is still entertainment on a very grand scale.

themes, language, violence 4.Nov.24

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