Gladiator II review: Fan service reigns in sequel

The blockbuster starring Paul Mescal delivers action but goes out of its way to remind viewers of how good the original was.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I like many was excited when news broke of a follow up to Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic Gladiator, even if that was tinged with some reticence about how they could pull this off.

Well the highly-anticipated sequel is here and … those reservations have proved to be well founded. It’s hamfisted and at times straight out bad.

With a huge budget, a star-studded cast and helmed by one of the industry’s great directors, Gladiator II delivers action but a far-from-convincing narrative.

The Oscar-winning original combined brutal combat with stunning visuals and stellar turns from Russell Crowe (the hero Maximus) and Joaquin Phoenix (the machiavellian Commodus).

Comparing sequels to feted originals can be unfair but this offering goes out of its way to do that itself – focusing on gushing fan service at the expense of a gripping new tale.

Paul Mescal as the rage-filled Lucius in Gladiator II. Picture: Supplied/Paramount

Gladiator II borrows so much from its predecessor it almost gives us the same film all over again, right down to inserting actual scenes from the first movie throughout.

There are a few spectacular set pieces – mostly to do with ships – but overall we get undercooked characters and a plot that requires some mental gymnastics to accept.

Heart-throb Paul Mescal is the purported lead of this blockbuster, playing Lucius Verus, the exiled heir to the Roman Empire who returns to the eternal city as a slave on a mission to avenge his dead wife. Sounds familiar right?

Mescal does an admirable job but is largely relegated to being the muscle of the film. Most of the plot seems to happen around Lucius, rather than being driven by him.

Denzel Washington has fun as Macrinus. Picture: Supplied/Paramount

The obvious villains are the twin emperors Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn and Fred Herchinger) whose juvenile lust for war and blood set the scene for the events of Gladiator II.

The real puppet master, however, is Denzel Washington’s slave-trader and wannabe Senator Macrinus. His intentions remain a mystery until he goes full Training Day in the latter stages.

Enthusiasts of the first film might have been wondering how Prince Lucius ends up in the Colosseum fighting for his freedom. The answer is: you’ll just have to go with it.

We meet our hero 16 years after the events of Gladiator tending his crop in Numidia, the North African kingdom he has somehow found himself living in (this is never fully explained in the film’s 2.5 hour run time).

Russell Crowe utters the eternal line ‘are you not entertained’ in Gladiator. Picture: Universal/Getty Images

Why was he on the run? Didn’t Maximus say “Lucius is safe” with his dying breath?

We later discover via a flashback that his mother, Princess Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), whisked him away mere seconds after Maximus died and chucked him on the back of a horse, apparently failing to keep tabs on his fate in the years since.

Within moments of meeting Lucius we get the first not-so-subtle call back to the original Gladiator with a close shot of him scooping some grain from a bucket and letting it filter through his hands.

It’s an obvious nod to his secret dad’s unique habit of grabbing a fistful of dirt and rubbing it between his mitts before going into battle. I guess it runs in the family.

The comparisons don’t stop there – Lucius’ wife Arishat is introduced and swiftly killed by invading Romans before she gets the chance to really say anything.

One genuine conversation between these young lovers? No time for that, we need to get back to Rome.

Arishat’s presence is so fleeting that her blurb in the cast section of the film’s Wikipedia page reads as follows: “Lucius’ wife”.

Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal face off in the Colosseum. Picture: Supplied/Paramount

The conquest of Numidia is led by general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) who claims the land for the empire and makes Lucius a widower in the process.

Acacius is a reluctant war hero who happens to have married Lucilla, and they are soon plotting to bring down the tyrannical emperors. Lucius’ goal for most of the film is to take revenge against the general – until very suddenly it isn’t.

Washington has fun with the slightly camp Macrinus and his arc is one of the more intriguing in the film. It’s he who carries the plot in the last act.

There are animal foes in three Colosseum battles – CGI baboons, a rhino and man-eating sharks – which are dramatic set pieces best enjoyed if you don’t overthink it.

And maybe that is how this film is meant to be consumed – don’t think too much about it.

You know there must be some rich stories behind each character but you don’t get the chance to find out. It’s all careering toward a final showdown for the future of Rome.

And this is where Gladiator II truly falls down in comparison to the original, it’s all spectacle and no real heart.