IndieWire Podcast Hated ‘Gladiator II'

Last Friday, influencers were drooling all over social media after having seen Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” I did mention how, internally, I’d been hearing more mixed takes from critics. The reactions have only gotten worse — I can’t seem to find a single person who loved Scott’s sequel.

It’s only continuing to get worse. IndieWire’s Screen Talk podcast has co-hosts Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio slamming “Gladiator II” — they hated it, calling it a “big disappointment.” Oscar pundits will maybe need to reassess this one and take it out of their predictions.

The hosts refer to the film as “soulless” and emblematic of what’s wrong in Hollywood today. The dialogue is said to be “bad,” “incoherent,” and some of the line readings are comically off-putting. The CGI is “terrible,” especially the sharks, and monkeys.

Scott seems to be paying more attention to the VFX than the performances themselves, or even story. Thompson and Lattanzio then ask themselves, why did Scott have to invent monsters to take part in the Colosseum battles? It renders the film even more unrealistic.

It’s a stitched together hero’s journey, but there aren’t many characters to hold on to in this movie.

Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio go on to criticize early influencer reactions. 

Beware of the influencers, ex-filers and people who are basically in the pocket of the studios. They all want to get access for the junket, to get interviews with Ridley Scott, and the stars. It is literally like that. It’s real.

If there’s one thing people can agree on it’s that Denzel Washington is great in the film. Even the film’s detractors are saying that he’s the clear highlight of Scott’s $300M+ costing film. Meanwhile, folks seem to be split on Paul Mescal’s performance, with one critic saying the actor doesn’t fully pull off the “anger” needed for his character, and another person I spoke to blatantly implying, “he doesn’t have the depth or talent to make a character like this work.”

“Gladiator II” is set to arrive in theaters on Nov. 22, 2024, with Mescal as the lead and Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielsen in supporting roles.