Film Review - Gladiator II
Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Ridley Scott’s sprawling epic Gladiator II has its faults, but ultimately keeps the audience engaged for its 2h30m run time. Paul Mescal stars as the inexplicably Irish gladiator Lucius, whose accent ranges from mildly American to faux Shakespearean british. The meandering plot follows his unwilling transportation to Rome and ascent to power as he fights back against tyrannical twin emperors, played by Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Fred Hechinger (White Lotus). The casting in this film was excellent, with standout performances from Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn. Though Mescal looked the part, I felt Lucius’s character was dry and lifeless, more of a cardboard cutout than a dynamic hero. Pedro Pascal’s character followed a similarly lacklustre arc. Both casting choices seemed flimsy, appearing as if Ridley Scott was relying on marketability rather than suitability. The most distinctive thing Lucius does in the whole movie is rip a CGI baboon’s ear off during a fight. Pedro Pascal’s character Marcus is unfortunately shot to death before he can display any personality.
The production of this film felt schismatic, wildly differing in quality throughout the departments. The costuming and makeup was exceptional, creating a unique look for every character while maintaining a consistently historical ‘grimy’ look. Emperor Geta’s pallid makeup and bedecked golden togas stood in harsh contrast to Macrinus’ refined outfits and signature jewellery. The set dressing and use of extras felt grounded in reality, something that many action films lack as of late. Other stylistic elements felt dated. The choice to incorporate shots from the previous Gladiator in black-and-white flashbacks felt tacky. The writing of Gladiator II was its greatest pitfall, with major tonal inconsistencies. The first two thirds of the film dragged the pacing, leaving time for self-indulgent melodrama, but the third act pivoted to soap-opera levels of crazy. A sudden spike in comedic lines had the audience laughing with confusion - weren’t we lamenting Lucius’s tragic circumstances just last minute?
A good script editor could have pulled this behemoth together and reconsidered lines such as ‘rage pours out of you like milk’. It’s hard not to love action movies that incorporate levity, but when the decision to add comedy looks accidental, it confuses the tone. Gladiator II is an ambitious film in desperate need of a shorter run time, but elements of creativity shine through. The side characters were lively, conniving and unpredictable, drawing more attention than the protagonist, Lucius. Ridley Scott needs to realise that the gladiators are the least interesting part of Gladiator II. This appears to be the sort of film that producers continue to remake until it’s booed out of theatres; I only hope that in the next iteration they turn the spotlight away from the colosseum.
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Gladiator II is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.