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24 years after its predecessor revitalized the sword-and-sandal epic, Gladiator II brings us back to the colosseum to reveal that The Dream That Was Rome has turned into a nightmare, with idealistic notions of democracy having been abandoned by a handful of demagogues seeking absolute power. Leave it to Ridley Scott to have his finger on the pulse.
Our story this time around follows Hanno (Paul Mescal), an erstwhile son of Rome who finds himself on the wrong end of the Empire when his Algerian home is conquered by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal). While Hanno pursues vengeance through gladiatorial combat, he’s unaware Acacius himself has tired of Rome’s expansionism and plots his own overthrow of the preening twin emperors (Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger).
Gladiator II’s dystopian view of the Roman Empire proves to be a welcome update for a cynical modern age, though it doesn’t skimp on the beautifully brutal bloodsport that defined the first movie. We’re here to see yoked dudes kill each other and a menagerie of CGI animals, and Scott and his team deliver those moments with aplomb—historical accuracy be damned.
The cast do their part in elevating broad archetypes into compelling characters. Mescal and Pascal both get to show off their leading-man chops, and Connie Nielsen’s return as Lucilla is welcome, even as it’s mostly thankless. However, the real standout ends up being Denzel Washington as Macrinus, Hanno’s ambitious mentor. Washington channels the same affable sadism he had in Training Day, and effortlessly commands every scene he’s in with equal parts charm and menace.
Gladiator II is far from perfect—it’s overlong, shallow, and retreads beats from the first film too often—but as a blockbuster fable from one of the masters of the medium, it’s an exciting saga that’s sure to leave you entertained. R. Studio One Theaters, AMC, Cinemark and Regal locations.