Gladiator II review: Ridley Scott sequel is epic old-fashioned movie-making with a star turn from Paul Mescal

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."

These words, adopted as a maxim by Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal), could also be a metaphor for filmmaking — the stories and accomplishments of cinema preserved for future generations. If that's so, Ridley Scott is surely among those whose name will be etched in stone. With Gladiator II, he reminds us why, at 86, he's still one of the most invigorating filmmakers around.

Gladiator II picks up 16 years after the end of its Best Picture-winning predecessor as General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) lays siege to Numidia, the adopted home of Lucius. Captured and enslaved, Lucius proves himself a formidable warrior in the gladiator's arena as he first seeks revenge against Acacius before facing what one might call his destiny.

Scott's sequel is the epitome of an epic, its towering sets, opulent costumes, and bustling crowd scenes bringing Ancient Rome to life in all its excess. He offers audiences a glistening feast for the eyes (and, yes, that includes the toned physiques of his leading men).

Mescal is a more than worthy successor to Russell Crowe, his Roman profile lending him a patrician air that belies his visceral strength. He carries himself with an energy that screams hero with a capital "h." The paradox of his rugged beauty feels tailor-made for this story of a gladiator whose most potent weapon is hope — and Mescal delivers a movie-star turn that is a powerful reminder of why he is one of the most in-demand actors of his age.

His foil comes in Denzel Washington's Macrinus, a former slave turned master of gladiators. Washington makes a six-course meal of his role, luxuriating in his gilt robes and twiddling his fingers full of rings like the most opulent fidget-spinner in the world. His line readings are geniusly unhinged, destined to become as instantly iconic as his "King Kong ain't got s--- on me." He's an elder statesman now, and what a joy it is to watch him suck the marrow out of this Shakespearean role.

Pascal gives beautiful, noble zaddy, his performance the most restrained in the film, lending his character a stolidness that contrasts with others' unpredictability. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are deliciously insane as twin emperors, Geta and Caracalla, their blood lust only matched by their brain rot.

All of this is cast against an epic spectacle that harkens back to 1950s and '60s sword-and-sandal flicks. With the benefit of advanced VFX technology, Scott brings to life a face-off with a rhinoceros and a full-scale sea battle on the floor of the Colosseum — feats which were likely far too pricey (or perhaps even impossible) back in 2000 when Gladiator was released. These sequences convey the corruption and waste at the heart of Rome more effectively than any dialogue, while remaining wildly diverting.

But, as with its predecessor, what elevates Gladiator II in the cinematic arena is the ways its themes and dialogue underpin its outrageous spectacle. David Scarpa's script is also fiercely intelligent, a refreshing achievement in a cultural moment that can feel like a race to the bottom. Give me more movies that use quoting Virgil as a foreshadowing device! Scarpa and Scott trust their audience to rise to meet them, rather than trying to account for the lowest common denominator (who will no doubt be assuaged by the film's copious violence as the Romans themselves were).

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It's undeniable that watching a film about an empire on the brink of collapse — brought low by the rule of corrupt, sociopathic, and narcissistic tyrants — hits differently in the wake of the 2024 election (though on the bright side, Caracalla's pet monkey, Dundus, looks like a pretty good leadership option right about now). Mescal bristles with a palpable rage, and it's chilling to hear Washington's paean to the power of male anger — and the ways it can be subverted in pursuit of power and fear-based loyalty.

Yet Gladiator II is also a film about hope, about the promise of a new Rome and a more just republic. Victory may be hard-won, steeped in blood and violence, but it is possible. The reluctant heroism of Lucius Verus is a valor for our moment — one forged in anger and vengeance and transmuted into a nobler aim. Watching that transformation is breathtakingly exciting, particularly as he gradually assumes the mantle of Maximus Commodus. Scott is a master at building tension and delivering narrative pay-offs (all aided by a rousing score from Harry Gregson-Williams).

While some of the plot points may leave a queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach given their modern parallels, one truth rises above the rest: With a movie this meticulously made, there's no way to not be entertained. Grade: A