Since its announcement, there have been many who wondered if Ridley Scott could deliver a great movie that could rival his own masterpiece. I believe that he has. The touch that Ridley Scott has with the Roman Empire has not vanished over the last 25 years. For those who haven’t seen the original Gladiator film, I strongly advise you to watch it first.

The opening sequence does give an artsy visual flashback to the events of the first film, but it leaves out just enough that Gladiator II can be appreciated more by watching the original. Regardless, the first Gladiator is not necessary to understand the plot of this one, as Gladiator II has the capability of standing on its own.

The cast within Gladiator II is superb with no performance weighing the film down. Every single performance compliments the others, even the ones that don’t necessarily share screen time with each other. This allows for a seamless blending of the legacy cast with the new cast that makes up the bulk of the movie. The two notable legacy cast members are Connie Nielsen as Lucilla Aurelius and Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus. With one being in the foreground and the latter being in the background of the plot, it allows for a good watching experience for those who are willing to watch these two movies back to back.

While there is a significant increase in terms of production value for Gladiator II, there is one scene that stood out as a bit off to me. There is a scene where a few gladiators are fighting these rabid monkeys that just don’t look as good as the rest of the film. I am not sure if this is a matter of the uncanny valley or something else, but it does seem like they couldn’t quite nail the look of those monkeys. Regardless, it is a short scene and can be easily overlooked.

One unique thing that I noticed in Gladiator II that is prevalent in the first film is the shifting of scenes where the plot moves along slowly to other times where the plot moves along quite quickly. This ebb and flow is definitely unusual from most films that I watch, but it does show how close Ridley Scott came to copying the original Gladiator. I personally would’ve preferred if this didn’t exist in either film.

For those who may be worried about the music due to the song used for the first trailer, have no fear. There are no pop, hip-hop, or modern songs heard within the film. Harry Gregson-Williams did a wonderful job tapping into the same vein of sounds that Hans Zimmer did for the original film.

The overall sound design is good for the most part, but there was a scene in the beginning where the audio was not well balanced. It could’ve been a technical glitch on the theater’s part, but I can’t be sure without a second viewing. Beyond this one scene, the sound design was just what you should expect from a film of this scale and budget.  

Overall, Gladiator II is an unexpected (yet welcome) addition to the Gladiator story. While I imagine that this is a conclusive end to Ridley Scott’s Roman World, I will not wager any money on that. Stranger things have happened in Hollywood and these days few franchises and standalone movies are off the table in our era of revamps.

Regardless, Gladiator II should be loved by those who love the original Gladiator film. When it comes to those who didn’t like the original though, Gladiator II won’t sell you on the journey if the original missed the mark. For those popcorn bucket collectors looking for something new to add to their collection, there are some wonderful buckets to choose from between Regal, AMC, and Cinemark. Are you planning to see Gladiator II? If so, let us know what your thoughts are and which popcorn bucket is your favorite!

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Gladiator II

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Phenomenal Cast
• Good Story
• Understandable Continuation

Cons

• Occasional Sound Problems
• Odd CGI Choice