I was disappointed by Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” A large part of my disdain resides in Paul Mescal’s performance as Lucius. He’s miscast, and doesn’t seem to have the muscular charisma needed to lead this big film.
Yes, the review embargo has been lifted and “Gladiator II” currently has a too-kind 67 on Metacritc (based on 29 reviews). The mixed takes are coming in from Vulture, THR, Screen,Variety, IndieWire, Little White Lies, Esquire The Times, Slant, The Wrap, and Consequence,
The positive reviews are coming from The Guardian, USA Today, BBC, The Telegraph, The Irish Times, Screen Rant, AP, The Daily Beast, The Seattle Times, EW, The Daily Beast, Total Film, Time Out, and Empire.
In their review, The Film Stage writes “Gladiator II is one of the dumbest blockbusters of recent memory - and it's all the better for it!”
Scott’s sequel can best be described as a “hot mess,” with multiple plot strands strenuously put together in its 150 minute runtime. Did we need a sequel to the Oscar-winning 2000 sword and sandals epic? The clear answer, in my eyes at least, is no. Of course, one could technically enjoy “Gladiator II” by seeing it as a campy affair, which it is, a soap opera with weird acting and implausible situations, but we deserved more than this.
“Gladiator II” is a revenge story, of sorts, as Lucius’ wife is killed during battle by a legion led by Pedro Pascal’s commander, Marcus Acacius. Denzel Washington gives the best performance of the film, as shadowy operator Macrinus, a puppet master who buys Lucius and puts him in the ring, fighting off flesh-eating moneys, sharks and rhinos. Washington gloriously overacts because he knows exactly what kind of film he’s in. Mescal takes it way too seriously.
Lucius and Macrinus strike a deal: the former will have to fight his way through numerous gladiatorial battles if he wants to finally seek revenge on Marcus. Macrinus’ promise fuels Lucius, and is supposed to be the film’s driving dramatic force. Too bad the viewer barely gets invested in the story because, yet again, Mescal just can’t deliver the goods for us here.
It’s a ludicrous story that fails to entertain. It doesn’t help that the CGI is wonky, at best, and doesn’t really justify the $250M price tag. It’s a real shame because I had high hopes that “Gladiator II” would, at the very least, deliver some form of entertainment, but it all just falls very flat.