1 week Ago By Abhinav Singh
Ridley Scott has an impressive list of films under his prestigious belt. From Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Thelma & Louise (1991), to the immortal Gladiator (2000), Scott has always been one of the most astute and prolific filmmakers in Hollywood. Despite his recent unimpressive releases like House of Gucci (2021) and Napoleon (2023), you can’t just count him out.
And, when it was first announced that Scott will be directing a sequel to Gladiator , one of the most loved and revered films of the 21st century, which won Russell Crowe an Oscar and turned him into a household name, fans were concerned. They didn’t want the memory of an emotional masterpiece to be besmirched. And, luckily, that just isn’t the case.
Does that mean that Gladiator II is as good as the original? No, it isn’t, but that does not mean it’s bad; not at all. In fact, I don’t think anyone was expecting it to be as good as the original. There are very few sequels that surpass the original, like The Godfather Part II (1974) or Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), and that isn’t the case here.
But, one thing Scott does achieve with Gladiator II is that it doesn’t stray away from the emotional and thematic core of the original. There’s no preaching to the audience. There’s no bending of history beyond what’s permissible in a feature film for obvious dramatization needs.
A post shared by Fandango (@fandango) When it comes to the technical abilities, the movie is very well directed, of course. Scott has been directing since 1977 and, besides Martin Scorsese, he’s one of the most experienced directors around. The cinematography is almost hypnotizing.
The same goes for the production design, costumes, war sequences, etc. One thing that doesn’t surpass the original is the fight sequences; especially the ones that involve animals. While in Gladiator (2000) you could clearly see that the tigers and the animals used were real, in most parts, here the CGI is very apparent wherever animals are used.
But that’s just CGI and VFX for you, ruining filmmaking for over two decades now. The same goes for the CBFC – the Indian censor board – that, despite the movie having an U/A 16+ rating, keeps chopping out the violence while the audience knows it’s a movie about gladiators that will definitely have blood and gore. But, well, that’s just the CBFC for you; nothing the makers can do about any of it.
Paul Mescal’s performance in the movie is great. Comparisons to Russell Crowe are natural, but unfair. The case can be made that Crowe had a much deeper emotional substance to work with, which turned him into a tragic yet heroic figure whose demise is like losing a loved one.
The same depth isn’t present for Mescal’s character; at least not at the same level. There is an attempt to provide emotional depth to Mescal’s characters, and it does work to a certain extent, but not beyond that. The music, too, isn’t as emotionally stirring as it was in the first part, but it’s halfway there.
‘GLADIATOR 2’ debuts with 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Read our review: https://t.co/UZ9z7LHbII pic.
twitter.com/iFeHdIBLZf — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 11, 2024 In conclusion, do not expect to watch a movie that surpasses a perfect masterpiece; a film that is part of popular culture to such an extent that people remember its iconic lines to this day (example: ‘ Strength & Honor ,’ or ‘ My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance; in this life, or the next .
’) But, you’d get a solid film nonetheless that would make you forget, for a little while, that Scott’s last release was Napoleon (2023). See Also: Gladiator 2 First Look: Pedro Pascal And Paul Mescal Battle It Out, Twitter Says 'We're About To Be Blown Away'.
