“The gates of hell are open night and day; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way: But to come back from hell and view the cheerful skies, In this the task and mighty labor lies.”
This line, a quote from the epic poem, the Aeneid, by the Roman poet Virgil, is delivered by Lucius after a vicious brawl between him and another fighter during the second act of the film “Gladiator II,” the follow-up to 2000’s “Gladiator.”
Taking place sixteen years after the events of the first film, “Gladiator II” follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen) who, after his wife is killed by the army led by the Roman general Acacius (played by Pedro Pascal), is captured and enslaved. After Lucius wins a gruesome battle against baboons, he soon encounters Macrinus (played by Denzel Washington), who, like Proximo did with Maximus in the first film, is a mentor for him and trains him to become a gladiator for the Colosseum in Rome — A Rome far from the one that his grandfather Marcus Aurelius once dreamed of, one that has fallen to bloodshed and brutality, being led by tyrannical twin emperors Geta and Caracalla (played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, respectively).
Easily, the best performance out of the entire cast comes from Denzel Washington as Macrinus. Washington not only embodies Macrinus but also completely submerges himself into this character. He oozes deranged charisma and pure emotion through his portrayal of Macrinus, delivering lines such as “A man does not become emperor by bloodline alone. It must be taken by force and kept by force! Are you such a man as this?” and “You will be my instrument!” There is also an interesting storyline that happens with his character, where he is placing bets on Lucius for the brutal gladiator fights. Washington chews up the scenery every time he is on screen with a truly magnificent performance.
Ridley Scott returns to the helm as the director of a surprising sequel that, while it doesn’t live up to the first film, is still a relatively fun experience. Scott continues the revenge tale narrative that the first film contained while also subverting expectations at specific points, most notably in the second half of the film. He also creates some fantastic brutal action set pieces, showcasing excellent direction through these. There are also some downright bizarre choices, the most glaring of which is the naval battle in the Colosseum during the second act. The flooding of the Colosseum happened in Ancient Rome, and it was used to reenact naval battles as an entertaining spectacle. The choice to include a sequence like this one seems to make for what sounds like a brilliantly brutal set piece – until the inclusion of sharks is factored in, resulting in a sequence that is too over-the-top for its own good and, at times, becoming unintentionally hilarious. This is another example of historical inaccuracies in Scott’s period pieces, which notably plagued his previous film, “Napoleon” (specifically the sequence in Egypt). One scene that worked with how over-the-top it is was an appointment to counsel made by Caracalla in the third act, reminiscent of one of the most infamous decisions by the emperor, Caligula.
In terms of the film’s score, Harry Gregson-Williams replaces Hans Zimmer as the composer, delivering a score that, while not as memorable as Zimmer’s beautiful pieces, is still quite fitting for the film.
While not as great as the first film, “Gladiator II” is still a fun historical epic with a phenomenal supporting performance from Denzel Washington and grisly action set pieces that are entertaining to watch on the big screen.
I am very entertained indeed.
“Gladiator II” is now playing in theaters.
