'Gladiator 2' Review: Nostalgia Runs High in the Paul Mescal-Led Sequel

It’s remarkable (and a wee bit sickening) to realize that in the time the first Gladiator hit theaters in the summer of 2000 and its sequel has debuted an entire generation has grown up and gone to college. At the time of its arrival, Scott’s epic ode to the Roman Empire was a large-scale, breathtaking tour de force that put Russell Crowe on most audiences’ maps and made the phrase “Are you not entertained” insufferable to hear after about 3 months. It was a cultural juggernaut, a fact enhanced by its five Oscar nominations including for Best Picture.

The hope was to capitalize on a sequel right away but, for various reasons, it took 24 years for audiences to return to the Roman world, albeit one that now feels far different from both a creative and audience perspective. While there are moments where you might hit the same soaring highs of watching large scale battles like you did back in 2000, David Scarpa’s script has too many ideas stitched together to make everything cohesive. New additions to the world are undercut by overt attempts to return to what worked in 2000, leading to a whole affair that is fun, in spurts, in the moment.

Set 16 years after the events of the first film, the city of Rome is mired in war and conquest, led by inept Roman Emperors Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, respectively). Almost immediately the desire to rely on what worked before is on display, complete with the wailing woman of soundtrack sorrow you probably recalled back in 2000.

Unfortunately, where our hero Maximus (Russell Crowe) brought war, stability, and a killer line (“unleash hell”), the opening battle here is necessary to impart the bare modicum of plot to make the audience care about our new hero, Hanu (Paul Mescal). He’s introduced in quiet contemplation, not unlike another Roman hero we know (hint, hint) and living with his wife who’s name you don’t need to recall as she’s quickly dispatched nearly as fast as she’s introduced leaving Hanu to become a husband to a murdered wife….wonder where we’ve heard that.

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The introductions come fast and heavy within this beautifully executed battle scenes, but once the dust clears Hanu is enslaved and sent to Rome and you know absolutely nothing about him outside one of stray line from wizened mentor (Peter Mensah, tragically playing the same role as Djimon Hounsou) about Hanu being found wandering in the woods as a child that you might miss if you aren’t listening. It took over an hour for the actual gladiat-ing to happen but the script breathlessly moves as if it’s being charged by the minute.

And Hanu’s story isn’t the only one the audience is meant to follow. The Roman intrigues is a large part of the story, much like in the first, although there’s a fractured start-stop quality to everything, no doubt fueled by the movie having to stop during the SAG-AFTRA strike. Pedro Pascal is wonderful as the emotionally conflicted General Marcus Acacius, a man not seeking lust or glory but just following orders. Unfortunately, Pascal isn’t used nearly enough to earn the emotional impact needed for his eventual meetup with Mescal’s already revealed in the trailers Lucius, son to Acacius’ wife Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).

Scott is known for being a filmmaker whose director’s cuts are FAR superior to their theatrical ones and I have little doubt that the same is true here. In the case of characters like Acacius, there’s a feeling as if whole subplots were removed to make way for other elements. Acacius and Lucilla’s scenes, the one source of romance in the movie, are all great to watch as Pascal and Nielsen have a palpable chemistry, and yet the whole tone is that we’re getting a taste of something far larger.

Once Hanu/Lucius is delivered into the arms of professional gladiator trainer and wannabe politician Macrinus (Denzel Washington), the movie gets a necessary shot in the arm. Washington is essentially playing the Oliver Reed role from the first film, but what the script gives him is the additional desire to be taken seriously by the Roman government.

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As Macrinus explains, he was conquered by Marcus Aurelius which opens up the door to some interesting discussions about race. Washington overpowers everyone he’s standing next to but it’s never a detriment. He is the single best part of Gladiator II. He’s charismatic, venal, cold, and calculating in the same scene. Any complaints one would have about his lack of an accent is diminished because his performance is nothing short of Shakespearean perfection. He’s the only character that feels as if he’s fully fleshed out.

You might be wondering “What about Mescal?” Anyone who has watched the first film cannot deny how amazing Crowe’s performance was, and reviews toplined his performance. That’s sadly not the case with Mescal. The work stoppage is seen the most in his performance — and not just because his hair darkens and slightly changes between the first and second half of the film. For the first half Mescal is just quiet, though a beast with the fight choreography, particularly during a fight in the Emperors’ household.

By the second half, and his first interaction with Lucilla, Mescal falls into the trap of trying to emulate Crowe’s performance, down to dropping his voice a few octaves. It’s not a bad performance, it’s just too thin in characterization. There’s nowhere where Mescal makes the role his own instead of just a poor imitation of his character’s father.

Anytime the film flags it’s picked up with large scale battles sequences that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. The CGI is evident when working with animals; the first gladiator scene with Mescal and some baboons is very 2000s-era CGI. But the rest, particularly a battle at sea where the Coliseum is filled with water and sharks, is remarkably impressive. These scenes cover up all manner of sins in the film’s 2.5-hour runtime.

Gladiator II has a similar vibe to this year’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. When all else fails, fall on what worked before. Denzel is the movie’s MVP. Mescal is fine, while the rest of the cast is given sporadic scenes that don’t linger enough to leave any imprint on the audiences’ memory. The battle scenes are fantastic but, if anything, they’ll just inspire you to revisit the first film. Whenever Ridley releases the 3-hour director’s cut of this I’ll be ready.

Gladiator II hits theaters November 22.