By Lucas Castillo ’25
All true and successful sequels have two things in common. It takes what worked for its predecessor and makes the most out of it, and, at the same time, it does something new with what it is already given. Gladiator II, while not perfectly, does successfully balance the repetition of what worked before and the forging of a new narrative that satisfies a desperate need for originality.
For the first half of this film, I couldn’t help but realize that the majority of the plot and basic premise of the film was all but identical to that of the first Gladiator. The minor situational differences and additions in the first act of the story didn’t mask the scent of already well trodden territory that audience members might find dull or, for those who are generous, novel. The first act’s storylines and plot points are very engaging and well developed on their own, but when compared to its predecessor, whose shadow looms far and wide over it, this film’s plotline could commonly read as lazy.
This first act, however, is very much worth it, as the more original storylines and plot points that the first act sets up are great in their own right. Once the first battle of vengeance ends, the narrative shifts, all of the preconceived notions that the audience once had are gone, and the film makes its own name for itself; merely catapulting its success off of and actively and tastefully benefiting from the richness of what came before.
This film, again, treads very similar ground with its themes: vengeance against those who wronged you, familial deception and betrayal, the power of the masses, etc., etc. However, I felt as though the theme of rising to power from lowly beginnings was developed in a more interesting, if not superior, way in this film than the last. I’m speaking, yes, in the case of our protagonist, Paul Mescal’s Lucius, but I would argue that the more interesting and potent example of this development is Denzel Washington’s character, Macrinus. To delve into further details would spoil the film and potentially ruin your experience, so you need to just take my word on the fact that his character is really good and that his strong connection to this theme makes his character all the better.
The first film had a stronger thematic identity overall, with it eclipsing the sequel in most thematic, and general, aspects, but this sequel does put on a good showing in these aspects separately.
Character-wise, for me at least, there weren’t any real standouts in general. Lucius was a good and natural protagonist for this movie, and seeing him deal with his lust for vengeance and the wait of his legacy was fairly engaging. It was cool to see some familiar faces from the first film too, like Connie Neilson’s Lucilla and Derek Jacobi’s Senator Gracchus. Yet, on the flip side, I do believe that this film has a villain problem, at least to some degree. The villain in this movie shifts more or less as the acts of the film move forward and—while they are all good antagonists in their own right, with the exception being the twin emperors—there was never one strong villain that we could all collectively and vehemently despise. That’s one aspect where the first film shined, with Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus being a strong central villain throughout. None of these other characters, even with their own merits, come close to replicating the overbearing malice that Commodus brought to the first film.
Performance-wise however, the entire main cast was great. Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, as Marcus Acacius, were excellent as always, and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, as the twin emperors, brought a delightful element of twisted glee and bitter wrath to their roles that made their characters all the better. Looking back on it now, I also find it really funny that Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn are both in this movie at the same time that they were cast as Reed Richards and the Human Torch in Fantastic Four: First Steps.
No one expected this movie to be better than the first Gladiator. It was, presumably, conceived as a sequel first and a movie second, and it is for that reason why I hadn’t seen any way that it could’ve possibly surpassed the original. However, it is a really good movie in its own right, and I recommend that you give it a watch.
Overall, I give Gladiator II an 8.5 out of 10. Go see Wicked now.