The reviews are in for Gladiator II ahead of its nationwide release next week, and the critics are, for the most part, not giving it the thumbs down, writing resoundingly solid reviews for the action epic that comes to theaters decades after the 2000 Ridley Scott-directed best picture Oscar winner.
The sequel has a 77 percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 67 average on Metacritic or “generally favorable” reviews.
Gladiator II is set years after the events of the blockbuster hit Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix.
Scott was nominated for a best director Oscar for the original Gladiator, and it seems he brings the epic scope of that blockbuster back to tell the tale in the sequel.
However Gladiator II fares this awards season, it’s a hell of a ride.” Not everyone liked Scott’s return to Rome, though.
The reviews for Gladiator II, which opens nationwide next week, are overwhelmingly positive. The action epic, which comes to theaters decades after the 2000 Ridley Scott-directed best picture Oscar winner, has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. The sequel has received “generally favorable” reviews on Metacritic with an average score of 67 and a freshness rating of 77 on Rotten Tomatoes.
Gladiator II, which stars Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, takes place years after the events of the popular film Gladiator. In the follow-up, Paul Mescal plays Lucius Verus, the son of Crowe’s Maximus, who must battle in the Colosseum after the despotic emperors of Rome overrun his homeland. Lucius must look to his past for the courage and dignity to bring Rome back to its former splendor after Pedro Pascal’s General Marcus Acacius besieges Lucius’ home of Numidia. Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a former slave who becomes a gladiator master, in a rare villainous role.
As with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, director Scott revives and revisits film franchises he started over his long career in this sequel, which keeps up his rapid-fire pace of massive Hollywood epic feature films. Scott was nominated for an Oscar for best director for the first Gladiator, and it appears that he uses the epic scope of that popular film to tell the story in the follow-up.
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter told readers that the movie is a bit of a rehash that works, saying that “the sequel delivers what fans of its Oscar-winning 2000 predecessor will crave — battles, swordplay, bloodshed, Ancient Roman intrigue,” in terms of brutal spectacle, intricate period reconstruction, and strenuous set pieces requiring complex choreography. Despite this, a lot of the new movie has a déjà vu feel to it, a slavishness that permeates the very fabric of a drama that is too closely tied to the original and extends beyond the men in cages fighting for their lives. “”.
Mescal, a surprising choice considering his delicate parts in Normal People and Aftersun, is the film’s captivating core, keeping it together with the same force and allure Russell Crowe brought to the first one, according to Caryn James of the BBC. With beheadings and swordfights nearly overpowering the characters, the sequel falls short of the first in terms of striking the ideal balance between emotion and action. “”.
Apparently less impressed, Nick Schager, a critic for The Daily Beast, describes the sequel as “an elaborate imitation of its predecessor.”. Even though it is merely a cover song, it is a menacing and malevolent one that reinforces the creator’s unmatched talent for grandeur. “.”.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, who himself is a fan of this epic blockbuster, shared Schager’s opinion when he wrote that, despite the fact that Scott’s return to the Roman arena is somewhat of a rehashing, it’s “still a thrilling spectacle and Mescal a formidable lead.”. We are entertained. “.”.
“What could have been a ponderous, predictable sequel to a much-loved Oscar-winner instead turns out to be a fun romp,” wrote Boyd Hilton of Empire magazine. It’s going to be quite the journey, regardless of how Gladiator II does this awards season. “”.
However, Scott’s return to Rome was not well received by everyone. “The excitement of the action scenes simply highlights the emptiness of the rest of the enterprise,” wrote Alison Willmore of New York magazine. Although not everyone thinks about the Roman Empire frequently, those who do ought to be treated better than this. “”.
“Unfortunately, Scott has chosen not to fill every one of the 148 minutes with quotable moments or with a strapping Paul Mescal taking on soldiers, sharks, or mad monkeys,” writes Alonso Duralde of The Film Verdict. “When Gladiator II is not being wild nor crazy, it’s all a little dull.”. “.”.
In November, Gladiator II will be released in theaters. 2.
