Gladiator II Review: A Compelling Sequel Worth Watching

Was I not entertained? I was very entertained, I can still feel the chills going down my spine.

I recently watched the first Gladiator get myself amped up for the sequel and let me tell you, there’s no other historical epic like it. Does the sequel live up to it? Well, in some sense it does. I think it beautifully pays homage to the original, but lacks some of the heart the original one had.

First thing’s first, Gladiator II is in no way a bad movie, I can actually happily report that it is in fact awesome. It was a jaw-dropping experience that literally sent chills down my spine. I was so invested in the story and at the times I was clenching my seat tightly as the tension built on screen. The movie is carried by riveting performances by a brilliant cast.

Paul Mescal is wonderful leading man. He embodies the tenacity and spirit of a Gladiator. Denzel Washington is menacing in one of his best villainous roles since Training Day. Pedro Pascal is fighter and at the end I was really rooting for his character. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger were diabolical and so unhinged, I loved it. And it was great to see Connie Nielsen back and she delivered such an amazing emotional performance.

The actors really carried the movie with brilliant performance complemented by a fantastic script. I once again applaud Ridley Scott for his direction. He truly is a once-in-a-generation filmmaker and definitely one of my favourites. He loves what he does and it shows. This movie was years in the making and I’m glad we finally got it.

Gladiator II is action-packed, more so than its predecessor. It has some of the best arena fight scenes ever and I just love a good hand-to-hand combat scene and memorable sword fights. They really focused on a variety of “fights” the Roman Empire used to host in the Colosseum.  

That said, the movie isn’t without its flaws. I enjoy the action, but I do feel that more time could’ve been spent on the story. While the first film might have had too much exposition, I feel like this one didn’t have enough. Some of the characters don’t get enough time to develop or flourish. Thankfully that doesn’t take away from the performances.

Another thing that really bothered me was the visual effects. For a high budget movie some of the effects looked worse than the most recent MCU movies. I feel like they were over-reliant on CGI in some scenes even though practical effects would have looked better.

That said, I think Gladiator II is one of the best movies of 2024, it certainly entertained me more than I expected. And back to the question, is it better than the first? No, unfortunately not, but it does live up to its legacy. And this can easily become one of the biggest movies ever, a title it certainly deserves.

I hope you go watch Gladiator II, it’s playing in theaters now.