gladiator ii [launch]
There is just not much to talk about with this.
Gladiator II is a legacy sequel, and it definitely feels like it. But it's best watched as a standalone experience, given that its insistence on calling back to the original at every opportunity is so apparent that it blends in with the cookie cutter, rinse and repeat plot anyway. I didn't watch this movie- I observed it, patiently awaiting each well-choreographed and stylish gladiator ring fight.
Despite the fact that this sounds like a harsh criticism, I actually think Gladiator II’s generic story template is a plus. As stated, this is a standalone experience that most people are going to see because it's the only movie like it out right now (evidenced by its $320 million dollar haul over the last two weeks, from all around the world). After a drop-dead gorgeous opening credits sequence, viewers are thrust into a sword and sandals epic exactly as it's advertised. There's no use denying people what they want, right? If this type of swords/ armor/ yelling movie isn't your thing, Gladiator II won't be the one to change your mind. However, if you love taking a step back into history, a decently-crafted, uber violent historical epic such as this will definitely scratch an itch.
The fight choreography here is fantastic, with each battle in the ring feeling various and tense thanks to its animal and opponent diversity. I love all the different creatures, some of which are extinct now, so some aspects felt almost out of a fantasy movie. The rich violence serves the purpose of the story well, and each fight is at least somewhat exciting and enthralling.
I've seen memes teasing the film for having every single character have a similar sounding regal/British accent except for Denzel Washington, who speaks in an American accent (his regular everyday voice)- but at least Washington’s performance is good, being the highlight of the show. It's Denzel friggin’ Washington- I'd be more surprised if he didn't turn in a great performance. He’s chilling, intimidating, yet casual and relaxed, and he feels like the most nuanced and layered character here, attempting to usurp the throne without a big reveal or plot twist. He's not a maniacal cackling villain at least, which in today's day and age is the bare minimum.
Despite Denzel’s reasonably solid turn-in, though, there are a couple performances I wasn't quite so fond of. Pedro Pascal is completely fine, nothing all too special. Connie Nielsen’s is dreadful and pouty, with a couple line reads I stifled laughter at, and Fred Hechinger’s is pitiful too, although at least his character is supposed to be immature and teeth-grating. Man, there is just not much to this movie.
The plot of Gladiator II is so paper thin that it felt like it was washing over me. It wasn't intriguing because it was good, and it wasn't intriguing because it was so-bad-it’s-good. I actually legitimately forgot about Lucius’ revenge motivation in the theater midway through because I was that apathetic towards his instantly-dead wife. This film also suffers from legacy-sequel-itis, as its over reliance on physical items from the first movie (e.g. shields and family crests) and “the legacy of a great man, living up to his ideals”, while giving this film an immediate purpose (albeit a not very exciting one), pushes this film into pretty generic territory. Side note, one thing I absolutely despise in films is when they lazily play clips of the original movie. Gladiator II will stop dead in its tracks to weirdly play a clip of the entirely-different-looking-and-sounding-since-it’s-on-film-instead-of-digital 2000 movie like it’s a PowerPoint presentation. Can you imagine if The Force Awakens did something like that? Yuck.
Maybe if the characters were built up slowly over the course of the runtime with nuance and character development and interesting characteristics, all set to an epic and dramatic character-driven plot line and memorable score, a Gladiator legacy sequel could have been something even remotely enticing to discuss. But as it stands, Gladiator II is one of the films of the year, and is quite possibly one of the films of all time.
