Gladiator II does not come remotely close to capturing the glory–for lack of a better word–of its Oscar-winning predecessor, Gladiator.

I’m gonna be honest here. I’ve only seen Gladiator twice. The first time was over the course of a few days when I was in high school. Which class, I can’t remember. The second time was when Paramount Home Entertainment released a Limited-Edition 4K Ultra HD SteelBook. Suffice it to say, even back when I watched Gladiator in one sitting, it really wasn’t a film that I fell in love with. I mean, I could understand why the Academy went for it but it’s not really my cup of tea.

In the time since watching the earlier film in 2020, I’ve learned quite a bit about the First Roman-Jewish War, the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and how the Roman Colosseum was built using the spoils of war–spoils that are probably valued around $1 trillion today. The search for the Temple Menorah, taken to Rome, would make for a documentary in and of itself. As you can imagine, this was weighing heavily on my mind while watching the sequel, only to leave the theater to news of an antisemitic pogrom in Amsterdam. But I digress.

I went into this film knowing it was a sequel but didn’t rewatch the original as a refresher. Nor did I watch the trailer. Sometimes this helps but other times, it doesn’t. What I can say is that they do something of a mini-recap of the first film during the opening and there are flashbacks throughout the film. In any event, it has been fifteen years since the death of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe).

David Scarpa’s script plays really loose with history, much in the same way that the original film did so as well. There was a real Lucius but he died as a child. Ridley Scott and company put their money unto the film’s sets, costumes, and visual effects. They’ve done their research in recreating invasions of fortresses from the sea or battles in a flooded Colosseum. All the while, Roman slaves battle other slaves for a potential chance at their freedom. After the Roman Empire takes Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) as a slave following their battle with Numidia, he finds himself in the care of ambitious Roman businessman Macrinus (Denzel Washington). At one point early on, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) realizes that this new gladiator is her son and true heir to the throne. That’s where Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) plays his part in putting Lucille’s plan into motion.

Much like last year’s Napoleon, Gladiator II lands not with a bang but with a thud.

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott
SCREENWRITER: David Scarpa
CAST: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington

Paramount Pictures will release Gladiator II in theaters on November 22, 2024. Grade: 2.5/5

Please subscribe to Dugout Dirt and Solzy on Buttondown.