[Review] Gladiator II (6/10)

 

Title - Gladiator II
Production - Paramount Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Films
Starring - Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielson, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, Yuval Gonen, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Tim McInnerny
Writer - David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni
Director - Ridley Scott
Release - 22 November 2024

How did they bring sharks into the coliseum? Where was the logic? Did the sharks make for better entertainment value? I would argue no. Substitute them with crocodiles. They would have been more effective. But if I had to guess, sharks were cheaper to CGI. That must be it, right?

I must be watching a different movie because I was not impressed at all with Paul Mescal's performance here. Maybe it was Ridley Scott's direction, wanting more intensity even when Mescal wasn't doing anything. It felt a little weird.

Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal were great though, especially Washington who looked like he was having a lot of fun with his character.

The duo Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger looked like the offspring of Joaquin Phoenix from the first movie because they both looked like this sequel's version of Phoenix's character.  Not that it was a bad thing, but just an observation that Scott wanted to keep the same elements from the first movie. I thought the two actors did what they had to.

I also didn't like the way the movie ended. It felt a little anti climactic because I was expecting a big fight, given that the movie dragged on after the action sequences from the coliseum ended. I thought we should have kept the main focus inside the coliseum.

What's good then? The cinematography and the action sequences were a match with the first movie. I was still kept engaged and mesmerized with the vast landscapes whenever they were presented. But this will be forgettable to me.