The naval battle caused controversy, but historians have attested to the media that such reenactments were indeed held in the Colosseum. However, there are no records of sharks swimming there. Scott dismissed his critics. ‘Gladiator II’ should be seen as a spectacle cinema and not a documentary.
‘Gladiator II’ follows 16 years later the story of Maximus (Crowe) and Lucilla’s (Connie Nielsen) bastard child Lucius (Paul Mescal), who also goes by the pseudonym of Hanno. The cast is rounded up by Pedro Pascal playing General Acacius, the insane Emperor brothers Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), and an award-winning performance by Denzel Washington as arms-dealer and gladiator stable owner Macrinus.

But it is not only a follow-up to the original; it is also a homage to epic movies of the past, like ‘Ben-Hur’ (1959) and ‘Spartacus’ (1960) when a multitude of extras were available, and the scenarios were even better looking than the real thing. Much like them, the images of ‘Gladiator II’ appeal to the eyes because its cinematography achieves the status of art, as its shots could be images set in a museum or an art gallery.
Hollywood is having a hard time financing big-budget projects, and when it does, they are based on existing IP and not on new ideas. Still, ‘Gladiator II’ comes at a time when the spectacle of epic movies feels like shades of past cinema history and those who have access to hefty resources are wearing ultra-coloured spandex.

Meticulous care is taken with wardrobe and makeup, which helps differentiate the characters and the symbolisms involved in the narrative. The scenarios are also eye-catching and help immerse the reader further into the story.

‘Gladiator II’ isn’t a Shakespearean or an art-house movie, allowing it to be understood as entertainment. The acting is an asset of the film, Mescal confirms that he is able to be a blockbuster leading man and Washington shines in it. The script isn’t dense, nor should it be, to the point that the picture shines when there are fight scenes. On the other hand, there isn’t much depth in the political scheming scenes.

Washington gives one of his best performances in his career and steals the movie, which confirms his place in the picture that had been questioned by some audiences before seeing it due to his Blackness and American accent. Washington is dangerous and cunning in the picture. Still, Macrinus is very different from Alonzo Harris (Training Day) and Frank Lucas (American Gangster), and it is notable in how the actor modulates his voice, gestures, and eyes, confirming his status as one of the best to ever do it.

The effort put into building the spectacle of the movie is admirable. In the current era, many films don’t use many scenarios, and there aren’t many extras or investments into craft and technology to the point that they feel very similar, one trying to ride the coattails of the other until they tire the audiences. Together with the cast’s acting skills, budget, cinematography, and Scott’s direction, ‘Gladiator II’ stands above most epic movie attempts in recent years, in particular the remakes of Golden Age Hollywood epics or Gladiator-themed TV shows.

Although it doesn’t surpass the original, it is a decent sequel and worthy of being watched at movie theatres, particularly those with the best sound and image resources. ‘Gladiator II’ is an excellent sensorial experience.

Rating: (4 / 5)

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Colin Farrell played Alexander the Great, Daniel Day-Lewis Abraham Lincoln, Cate Blanchett Queen Elizabeth I and in some ways making these films is like adapting a popular book or graphic novel, the filmmaker borrows on the existing interest and glamour. Much like with Shakespeare, the three above-mentioned biopics are simply one-word names – there is no need to elicit further interest with a catchy title. After all, if a filmmaker wants a story that has war, love, disaster etc, they can simply make one up…but then it isn’t Napoleon, and even a film that is historically inaccurate (no judgment on Napoleon) would have that name.

An interesting aspect of Napoleon is that it stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon, and over twenty years ago Phoenix was the villain in Gladiator, the emperor Commodus. Spoiler for those who haven’t seen the Napoleon trailer or know Napoleonic history but Napoleon eventually declares himself emperor. Commodus and Napoleon are very different people. The latter was by all accounts a genius – for years seemingly unbeatable, victory followed by victory – and these were impossible victories. Napoleon wrote new law codes that lasted long after his death and redrew the map of Europe.

Commodus was not a genius and is often ranked as one of the worst emperors in Roman history and quite possibly insane. If anything Gladiator underplays just how unhinged Commodus was; as he would sometimes wander around Rome with a giant club pretending to be Hercules and hitting people. The only son of Marcus Aurelius who survived to adulthood (considered one of the best Roman emperors) he was born into unbelievable wealth and privilege. The Napoleon trailer says that Napoleon came from nothing, which is not quite true, being a very minor Corsican aristocrat, but certainly, his success was very much due to his work and talent. For all of his genius, Napoleon was someone who installed themselves as a dictator and then emperor waged endless war across Europe and relentlessly pillaged those he conquered of wealth and art.

Phoenix was fantastic as Commodus, the petulant, cruel, hurt, unloved, who wanted the love of the people. For all of his power he felt unable to act against the public mood, he clung to his sister as one of the few people he cared for and seemed to want her to be more than just his sister. The madness of Commodus taking on Russell Crowe’s Maximus in the arena makes sense when viewed through this lens, he could have killed him a thousand different ways but his desire was to defeat Maximus and gain the adoration of the people that had fallen on Maximus. Historically and narratively we know things will not end well for Commodus (in reality not killed in the arena but assassinated). Phoenix is receiving positive reviews for his performance as Napoleon, again playing someone we know will ultimately lose – again history spoiler – not because of insanity or incompetence but maybe their hubris.

Whatever the success of Napoleon there is a never-ending demand for these sorts of films and there will be more of these huge historical epics.

Also Read: War Films: Horror and Glory

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