“Are you not entertained?”
Maximus exclaimed to the audience after killing his opponent, highlighting the cruelty of Roman gladiator entertainment.
A phrase from “Gladiator” that echoes throughout the movie and movie history as iconic. Released in theaters on Nov. 22, 2024, 19 years after these events took place, “Gladiator II”’s plot develops.
“Gladiator II” follows Maximus’s son, Lucius, who wishes to bring anew to a corrupt Roman empire after Maximus’s death. The sequel entertains its audience, with clashes on ships and rhinoceroses, but fails to present a unique focus.
The intial “Gladiator’s” success was due to its distinctive theme on failure of individuality. “Gladiator II” presents a common theme of success through working with allies. An example is when Lucius ultimately relies on others to win towards the movie’s end.
The movie also presented one plot twist involving Lucius’s mother, but it was easily predictable based on how it developed. Movie director Ridley Scott failed to entertain the audience through narrative, rather he used combat.
The star-studded cast includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington, who was a poor casting choice for this film. Although Washington played his part throughout the movie as a power-seeking individual the best he could, he was the wrong actor for such a character. Throughout the movie, it’s evident that Denzel Washington failed to execute the role well because he lacked both asserted dominance over his companions and menace within his dialect.
A final problem is its void of realism. The first “Gladiator” presented a historically accurate representation of a corrupt ancient Roman society, whereas “Gladiator II” disregarded realism and strived for entertainment. Likewise, the Roman Colosseum was filled with shark-infested water, with no reveal of how this occurred. Another depiction of unrealistic approaches involves how a businessman in charge of hiring gladiators became emperor of Rome after manipulating and killing Rome’s previous rulers.
I recommend this movie if you wish for entertainment, but be aware that it is not an Oscar-winning performance.
