Gladiator II (2024)

Manuel São Bento November 14, 2024

★ 8/10

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/gladiator-ii-review-a-legacy-sequel-that-triumphs-through-spectacle-and-emotion/ "Gladiator II may not achieve the groundbreaking impact of the original film, but it remains an impressive cinematic experience, transporting audiences into an epic filled with emotional and visual grandeur. Ridley Scott once again showcases his mastery in blending narrative, action, and thematic depth, delivering a sequel marked by superb technical execution and standout performances, particularly from Denzel Washington. Despite the inevitable comparisons to the classic, the iconic filmmaker presents a story that justifies its existence, even if it treads familiar ground. Necessary or not, what truly matters is the strength (and honor) with which a work captivates us - and here, Gladiator II triumphs." Rating: A-

Dean November 14, 2024

★ 1/10

Another trash Woke movie from Hollywood. There were never black (African) emperors in Roman empire... This movie is simply false propaganda.

griggs79 November 15, 2024

★ 8/10

_Gladiator II_, a polished echo of the original, is a testament to Ridley Scott's cinematic powers. It follows his hit-and-miss _Napoleon_ biopic last year, which was rather miss than hit. The sequel captures the original's essence while introducing elements, making it a worthy successor. Paul Mescal in the lead role - inherited from the ever-growling Russel Crowe, who was at the top of his career in the original - holds his ground against Denzel Washington, whose charisma cleaves through the screen as effortlessly as his character's sword. Ridley Scott admits he was prompted to revisit _Gladiator_ by the acclaim he received from those too young to have seen the original on the big screen. His mission to lure Gen Z away from their streaming devices may help to save cinema, ushering in a new era of appreciation for the big screen. But for the love of Jupiter, I hope they quickly lea…

r96sk November 15, 2024

★ 9/10

'Gladiator II' is awesome! I only watched the original three years ago, almost to the day in fact, but I was anticipating this follow-up after thoroughly loving the Russell Crowe film. Honestly, I think I kinda enjoyed this sequel more - at worst, the two are on the same level, for me anyway. Crowe is missed, though everyone in this movie more than makes up for his (obvious) absence. This is the first time I've seen Paul Mescal act, despite knowing of him for quite a while now. I'm impressed! He delivers a showing of great strength (pardon the pun). Pedro Pascal is very good too, as is Joseph Quinn; I wasn't instantly sold on the latter when he appeared onscreen, though when all is said and done I rate his performance positively. Denzel Washington... what a geezer. I'll never tire or turn down the chance at seeing that man act. Needless to say, given he's one of two favourite ac…

CinemaSerf November 16, 2024

★ 6/10

Sixteen years after "Maximus" (Russell Crowe) bit the dust, we find ancient Rome under the control of twins "Geta" (Joseph Quinn) and his brother "Caracalla" (Fred Hechinger) and thanks to their general "Acacias" (Pedro Pascal) continuing to expand their empire. It's this latter man who leads an attack on the home "Nanno" (Paul Mescal) shares with his wife "Arishat" (Yuval Gonen). That doesn't go so well and next thing, she's gone on ahead of him to the wheat fields and he's now a slave owned by the manipulative "Macrinus" (Denzel Washington) heading to the Colosseum to entertain the emperors and their cousin "Lucilla" (Connie Nielsen). What now ensues is a well produced and good looking rehash of the first film paying homage en route to "Spartacus" and it's the sheer predicability that I struggled with. It's episodically delivered with far too much script and though Mescal tries hard, h…

DWP November 19, 2024

★ 7/10

Comparisons will be inevitable and Gladiator II will never be as iconic as the 2000 classic. However it is very good, strong all-around with gripping action and a well executed script. Performances are very good, with some pleasant surprises.

Chris Sawin November 20, 2024

★ 5/10

Gladiator II features some impressive action sequences. Every battle in the Colosseum is fantastic despite how historically inaccurate they may be. The monkey sequence showcases how skilled Hanno (Paul Mescal) is not only as a fighter but also in how he interacts with others. Then there's the rhino sequence that plays out much like Bugs Bunny’s interactions with Toro the Bull in the Chuck Jones-directed Looney Tunes short Bully for Bugs (1953). While those sequences are fairly believable, the shark sequence seems like pure fantasy and that’s why it’s so incredible. They fill the Colosseum with water and let sharks loose while the opposing gladiators try to survive the onslaught on boats. It’s also interesting to note that every major actor who dies in the film has a spectacular death. Not only that but these gruesome deaths get increasingly more grisly and memorable as the …

GenerationofSwine November 24, 2024

★ 1/10

pssst.... it's woke, but that's no surprise. What is a surprise is that people are giving spoiler alerts. I don't understand why. Like so many movie squeals and reboots what you have here is Gladiator with everything intelligent and entertaining sucked out of it. So it's the same movie, but shorter. There are two emperors rather than ones. Rome is falling, but not from the debauchery, intellectual laziness, and over stretched militarism that really caused it's fall... that would be anti-woke to point out it collapsed for all the reasons they love. Instead some lazy leftism the right is evil crap, peppered with fiery but mostly peaceful protests blamed on the thinly veiled reference to Trump. Might as well have the baddies wear red hats that read "Make Rome Great Again." With lectures. And I don't need to go over the political lectures, they are all the same. Woke Hollywood…