Gladiator II (2024) Watch on Gomovies

Gladiator II (2024) Watch on Gomovies

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Ridley Scott's vicious, stunning sequel so closely mirrors the first that it could as well be a remake, appealing to the same type of bloodlust that delights in ancient Rome.

In the original Gladiator, Russell Crowe yelled, "Are you not entertained?" over the dead of around six armored fighters. That sentence is ingrained in our collective consciousness. It also encapsulates Ridley Scott's aggressive and forceful directing style in this blustery, professional follow-up. It's noteworthy that not much has changed in the nearly 25 years since the first movie won five Oscars in 2001, including best picture and best actor for Crowe.There is, to be sure, a splash of new blood. Paul Mescal, who plays the enslaved yet honorable warrior Lucius, receives the tunic and battle sandals from Gladiator II. In it, Denzel Washington plays the slick, cunning gladiator master Macrinus. The spectacle (and, let's face it, the silliness) is increased with sharks in the Colosseum, an attack rhino, and a terrifying computer-generated imagery hell creature that resembles a cross between a demon and a shaved baboon. We are amused, of course; how could we not be? However, aside from sharks and rhinos, there are glaringly few new ideas. This follow-up is almost a remake of its predecessor because it is so similar.

This is clear from the beginning. A view of a macho hand fondling grain opens both Gladiator and Gladiator II. The Malickian picture of Crowe's meaty paw scuttling across a field of golden wheat appears in the first film, while Mescal is shown thoughtfully playing with some chicken feed in the second. The meaning is obvious: they are strong, uncomplicated guys who remain rooted to the ground, even if they may be intimidating soldiers. Beyond their shared love of cereal crops, the two are afflicted by an almost identical double-whammy of early triggering episodes. Both experience the loss of loved ones and become slaves under the Roman Empire, which causes them to vent their anger and sadness in gladiatorial battle. They both use the same signature move, which is a decapitation with two swords that servesas a forceful closing statement in the majority of disputes.

Both films, which contend that the gladiatorial "games"—days of carnage for the amusement of the masses—reflect all that was fundamentally flawed in ancient Rome, are based on the same contradictory realities. They are used as a handy means of eliminating adversaries and as a diversion from the harsh reality of everyday life for the common Roman by cruel and erratic rulers, such as the tittering, quixotic double act of sibling emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn). However, the Gladiator films are more on the brutality and bloodshed. The visceral battle scenes are amazing; they are expertly planned, brilliantly performed, and expertly edited.Absolutely, Scott can embellish it with a sense of honor and respect, but at its core, the Gladiator films really play into that raw, primal desire for bloodshed that drives the audience in the Colosseum into a wild excitement.

Gladiator II takes a rather straightforward and schematic stance on the classic battle of good versus evil. On the villainous side, the emperor brothers are delightfully dreadful. Caracalla, with his pet monkey, suffers from severe syphilis and has the high-pitched, gleeful laugh of a spiteful child. Geta, on the other hand, is more cunning and vengeful, sporting so much theatrical makeup that he starts to evoke memories of Bette Davis in What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?. Representing honor and virtue is Lucius, who feels like a rehashed version of Crowe’s Maximus, albeit with a touch more angst. Mescal performs admirably in the action scenes, infusing his character with a palpable sense of despair beneath his righteous fury. However, he shines brightest when delving into the nuanced aspects of a character, while this role demands a more robust and forceful presence. The absence of Crowe’s powerful, combative delivery from the first film is keenly felt. The only returning character, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), has lost much of her intriguing complexity and now rather blandly supports the egalitarian ideals of Rome envisioned by her father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

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