4/5 stars
Twenty-four years since Gladiator, Ridley Scott finally re-enters the arena of one of his greatest triumphs. The film won five Oscars, including best picture, and single-handedly revived the swords-and-sandals genre.
Gladiator II arguably will not have the same effect, but it is a handsome continuation of the story with some fabulously crafted set pieces.
The first of these – arguably the best of them – is a raid on a colony, led by Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius. Among those fatally wounded is the partner to Lucius (Paul Mescal), long lost son of Maximus, Russell Crowe’s Roman general-turned-slave from the original film.
Taken to an encampment outside Rome, Lucius is made to fight for his life against some rather savage – and slightly unrealistic-looking – baboons. He survives, catching the attention of the man who wrangles gladiators, Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave who craves power.
Soon enough, Lucius is fighting in front of the emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), two particularly cruel and unhinged rulers of the Roman Empire.
