While some legacy sequels (Top Gun: Maverick, Mad Max: Fury Road) have shown that a big gap between entries can work, it is always a daunting task stepping back into the arena. Literally in the case of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, the long-awaited sequel to his Best Picture-winning movie Gladiator. Fans of the original are likely to love the scale and action that Scott brings to this new movie, as well as the intriguing and charismatic performance by Denzel Washington, but it definitely feels like something was lost in the nearly quarter-century gap between the two entries.
Gladiator 2 takes place 16 years after the events of the first movie. Paul Mescal plays a grown up Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and true heir of Marcus Aurerlius, who was sent into hiding for his protection. He now goes by a new name, is married and living in Africa. However, when Rome comes to conquer his city, his wife is killed and he is captured and made to be a gladiator owned by the power-seeking Macrinus (Washington). Filled with rage, he seeks vengeance against the general who led the attack, Acacius (Pedro Pascal) and all of Rome, which has fallen into corruption under the twin emperors Gata (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).
