“The gates of hell are open night and day. Smooth the descent, and easy is the way. But to come back from hell and view the cheerful skies. In this, the task and mighty labor lies.”

Hooooooooooo boy lol. God, I really love movies y’all. Easily one of my favorite experiences in the cinema, ever. I don’t think even Dune had me this completely enthralled by its spectacle (ain’t saying it’s better, you can put the pitchforks down) and just fucking in it. Sitting in the center of a packed theater on opening night, and hitting the “locked in” pose like six times. The shit I live for. Felt like I had front row seats at the colosseum myself.

Undeniably rough around the edges but, accuse me of recency bias as much as you please, I can honestly say I prefer it to its predecessor (okay, maybe you can get the pitchforks out) which I love. Most will likely disagree, primarily because this one is not nearly as concerned with heartfelt emotions. Those are still very much present, but this is far more angry and less hopeful film. Exemplified by Lucius/Hanno’s visions of the afterlife being so much more eerie and uncertain than what Maximus saw. Where Gladiator has tears, Gladiator II has bloody teeth. Another big improvement is in its supporting cast. There is not one significant character here that I didn’t find interesting, and they all have varied motivations. I’ll say probably the only big issue for me personally that I can think of right now, is that Pascal’s character Acacius never gets to learn what he did to make Lucius so vengeful. His suspicions are likely not far off, but I was really hoping to delve further into that conflict because it felt so much more gray and complicated than any of what’s in the first film. 

Paul Mescal is both a titanic force of relentless destruction and a healing flame of blue. I know I’m gonna be in a microscopic minority here, but I just straight up find Lucius a cooler hero than Maximus. Doesn’t have his patience or his charm, but I’m a sucker for characters that get hit a little too hard and suddenly are no longer human but a slobbery bloodthirsty beast. Was a bit hesitant that Mescal could conjure that kind of energy, but “this kid delivered”. Brought some seriously vicious physicality to that role.

Doubt I even need to say anything about Denzel. He’s in the film for way more than I expected which had me very happy. Real movie star shit. Pedro Pascal doesn’t have as much to do, but stuns in every moment he gets. Connie Nielsen is astonishing as always, though I was pretty unsure about Lucilla’s handling in this before a scene between her and Mescal toward the end made it all feel more than earned. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are also huge standouts, the latter being easily the most hilarious part of the whole thing. Was honestly quite surprised but delighted to see him take a character so clearly written for Barry Keoghan and making it wholly his own. 

This action, guys. Oooooh my days. Ridley is clearly having so much fun with all these sequences that were impossible to pull off twenty years ago, and the scope is so goddamn massive that it almost makes its predecessor look like an indie budget. Much clearer and more precise choreography, while still being able to retain the raw grisly energy of the original. Amplified by incredible, thunderous sound design. I’ll say the score is a step down (kinda impossible to top Zimmer in his prime), but still magnificent soulful work from Harry Gregson-Williams. 

Probably my favorite Scott since Covenant, though I am still one of The Last Duel’s strongest soldiers. This is a bonafide blockbuster if I’ve ever seen one, man. An ensemble well utilized and a spectacle perfectly magnified, topped off by some of the best sets and costume design you’ll see for a movie in this decade at least. Just constantly astonishing craft on display. Specifically on what feels like one of the biggest displays you’ve ever witnessed. Sometimes a movie is so good you just wanna rip your hair out. Will most likely be seeing this again many times, so expect more of my yapping soon. As my dad once told me all about the day he first saw Gladiator for the first time, I will be telling my children all about the night I witnessed the colossal event known as Gladiator II.

STRENGTH AND HONOR!