Are you not Entertained?

Posted on 23rd March 2025

Gladiator II is the sequel that was a long time coming. So long, in fact, that Paul Mescal plays the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus, all grown up since a dalliance with Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla begat them a son. Having been tucked out of harm’s way in Africa, all conquering Rome sees him returning as a captured slave turned gladiator, setting in motion a plot that is close to that of the first film, but which ultimately goes its own way.

The film is packed with set piece thrills. Mescal’s Lucius battles thrillingly against the war ships of Rome, before confronting mutant monkeys, rampaging rhino’s and savage sharks in the Coliseum, all in the name of entertainment for the masses. Expertly choreographed blood and guts action is presented for our ghoulish pleasure with the skill we’ve come to expect from Ridley Scott, while real life sets with genuine extras add verisimilitude to the ancient Rome on screen. Behind and in between the scenes, dastardly plots are hatched. Instead of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus, we get two emperors for the price of one, as Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) out weird each other in a way that is genuinely creepy. Tim McInnerny does his usual unctuous turn, Derek Jacobi gets to wear a toga again, and Matt Lucas injects some rare humour into the generally sobre proceedings. Towering above this solid ensemble cast is Denzel Washington as the chameleon Macrinus, a scene stealing slave owner that as slippery in motive and he is silver tongued.

The whole thing adds up to little more than preposterous bunkum, but it’s hugely entertaining. Despite its lengthy run time, the film zips along as Ridley Scott delivers a blockbuster movie that proves there’s still life in the sword and sandal epic.