Gladiator II First Reviews: The Grand Spectacle of Action and Intrigue You’re Hoping For 

You will be entertained, again, according to the first reviews of Gladiator II. Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel to his 2000 Best Picture winner takes us back to ancient Rome, set around 20 years after the first movie. Oscar-nominee Paul Mescal leads the show this time, with praise being given to his star-making turn alongside a scene-stealing Denzel Washington. If you loved the original, it sounds like you won’t be disappointed with all the action, spectacle, and historical drama of this follow-up, though some reviews argue that it pales in comparison, and plot-wise it’s actually too similar to its predecessor.

Here’s what critics are saying about Gladiator II:

Does it live up to expectations?

There’s something so satisfying in seeing a sequel to one of your favorite movies after 20+ years and having it be amazing.
— Catalina Combs, Black Girl Nerds

In terms of brutal spectacle, elaborate period reconstruction, and vigorous set pieces requiring complex choreography, the sequel delivers what fans of its Oscar-winning 2000 predecessor will crave — battles, swordplay, bloodshed, Ancient Roman intrigue.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Something has been captured here, what felt like lightning in a bottle 24 years ago is back. There’s a fire, a return to greatness.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

If you loved Gladiator, it’s odds-on you’ll enjoy this too. It’s got all of the same exciting bits – swordfighting, rousing speeches, nasty poshos getting what they deserve.
— Alex Flood, NME

It may not be high praise, but Gladiator II, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s landmark slash-and-burn ancient Rome spectacular, is probably about as good a movie as we could have expected it to be.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Manage your expectations, and you will not be disappointed.
— Chris Wasser, Sunday Independent

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

How does it compare to the original?

Scott has created another epic worthy of the 24-year gap from its predecessor.
— Catalina Combs, Black Girl Nerds

Ridley Scott mainly delivers a spectacle worthy of the legacy of the original.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

It’s a darker, more vicious film for a darker, more vicious time.
— Siddhant Adlakha, Inverse

This incredible cast… and this expansion of the compelling political machinations make Gladiator II a worthwhile sequel, even if it can’t match its predecessor.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider

Ultimately Gladiator II is diminished by a nagging recognition that this material felt fresher in the first film.
— Tim Grierson, Screen International

It’s ultimately a mere shadow of that movie.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Is it one of the best movies of the year?

The film’s story, characters, and action make this one of the year’s best films.
— Catalina Combs, Black Girl Nerds

Full of spectacle and spectacular performances, Gladiator II is by far the best popcorn film of the year.
— Caryn James, BBC.com

Gladiator II is the grandest spectacle of the year.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Does Ridley Scott prove he’s still got it?

With Gladiator II, he reminds us why, at 86, he’s still one of the most invigorating filmmakers around.
— Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

Gladiator II is sturdy, solid, enjoyable blockbuster filmmaking; another testament to the fact that even at 86 years old, Ridley Scott is still one of the best of the best, a skilled entertainer who knows how to deliver the goods.
— Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm

Scott is clearly a better filmmaker now than he was 25 years ago, and that shows in every scene in Gladiator II.
— Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior

Ridley Scott has lost none of his flair for grandeur.
— Tim Grierson, Screen International

It is also Scott’s most successful attempt at crafting a camp atmosphere in his latest runs of films.
— Brandon Lewis, Geek Vibes Nation

Do you need to see the original first?

If you have not seen the first Gladiator, it is not necessary to do so, as the dialogue and flashbacks do enough to keep you up to date.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

You don’t need explicit knowledge of the first film, but you sense that its sequel draws heavily from a prior text.
— Brandon Lewis, Geek Vibes Nation

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

How is the action this time?

As you might expect, the action set pieces are magnificent… I particularly appreciated that Scott was not content to repeat the same action beats as the first film. Every fight has some kind of interesting twist on it that makes it feel fresh and inventive.
— David Chen, Decoding Everything

Its action set pieces are ruthless and wonderfully exciting.
— Siddhant Adlakha, Inverse

The action in this film is top-notch, historically accurate or not! For those that are squeamish with blood, be warned.
— Catalina Combs, Black Girl Nerds

Very few filmmakers can stage an action sequence like Scott, and he ensures that every slash, punch, or slam into a wall hits with a resounding boom.
— Brandon Lewis, Geek Vibes Nation

The man-to-man macho fight scenes are fine – mostly WrestleMania-style brawls with a few nicely epic kills. Scott really excels, though, at creating enjoyable mayhem.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today

Compared to the grisly tactility of the first film’s gladiatorial sequences, the ones here are accomplished through heavy use of CGI, which saps the brutality of a great deal of its visceral impact despite the copious amounts of bloodletting.
— Jake Cole, Slant Magazine

Does it look as good as the original?

Visual effects have evolved tremendously since the first Gladiator and the new film looks spectacular.
— David Chen, Decoding Everything

There are evocative images that linger, like a shot of men raking the pebbly sand on the arena floor the night before a contest.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

John Mathieson returns as cinematographer and while he doesn’t venture too far outside the color wheel of blues, yellows and browns that marked the first film (and many that followed), his significant use of natural light does find devil in the details with crisper images and deeper shadows.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

Needless to say, Gladiator II looks spectacular.
— Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior

The sets are stunning.
— Alex Flood, NME

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

How is the script?

David Scarpa’s script is also fiercely intelligent, a refreshing achievement in a cultural moment that can feel like a race to the bottom.
— Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

This is writer David Scarpa’s third collaboration with Scott… [and] this is his best work yet.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

Gladiator II does have its plot holes, but this is as close to perfect as it gets.
— Catalina Combs, Black Girl Nerds

David Scarpa’s screenplay sometimes bites off more than it can chew with the number of characters and motivations it sets up in such a short amount of time. It can feel disjointed initially, especially when trying to establish connections to the original film.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

Is it too much like the original?

Gladiator II does not burden itself with overcomplication. In fact, it’s a pretty simple restaging of Gladiator’s tale of political upheaval seen through the eyes of a warrior.
— Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies

Occasionally, Gladiator II tries to play this off as a son following in the great footsteps of his father, as we see him even preparing for battle in the same way, but narratively, for Lucius, this often feels more like Gladiator II simply recreating this same story 24 years later.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider

In the broadest of strokes, Gladiator II essentially replicates the story of the first film.
— Jake Cole, Slant Magazine

The screenplay often seems as close to a remake as a sequel. It follows the template of David Franzoni’s earlier Gladiator script almost beat for beat, most of its characters traceable to direct counterparts from that film.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

In most respects, Scott’s film is an elaborate imitation of its predecessor. If little more than a cover song, however, it’s a majestic and malicious one that reaffirms its maker’s unparalleled gift for grandiosity.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

Scott strays from the original Gladiator in all the right places as he brings the spectacle that audiences pay to see.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

Scott and Scarpa are performing a little bait-and-switch. They play the hits, repeating the same basic plotline from the original movie. And then they suddenly say, “Okay, now that you’re comfortable, it’s time for something different.”
— Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Does it seem relevant to the world of today?

As in all good historical dramas, there are plenty of contemporary political parallels to be drawn, especially in the wake of the hard-fought U.S. presidential election.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Some of the plot points may leave a queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach given their modern parallels.
— Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

How is Paul Mescal in the lead role?

Mescal is a more than worthy successor to Russell Crowe… [He] delivers a movie-star turn that is a powerful reminder of why he is one of the most in-demand actors of his age.
— Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

While he can’t match Crowe’s warrior charisma, Mescal oozes just enough steeliness as a man considered a “barbarian” by the Roman elite.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today

Paul Mescal steps up to the movie star demands of this project, providing a performance that balances the physical necessities of the character with the indie sensibilities for which he’s known.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

Mescal’s intelligent performance raises the level of the film beyond its violent combat.
— Caryn James, BBC.com

Mescal has something that works for the movie — he projects not revenge but a shaggy rugged nobility, the idealism that will make Lucius the potential savior of Rome.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

His performance feels a tad flat at times, its narrow emotional range sticking mostly to the same notes of brooding intensity and simmering rage.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Mescal works hard, and it’s an interesting turn – edgy, soulful and quietly powerful, and I can’t think of another performer who might have done a better job with the role.
— Chris Wasser, Sunday Independent

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Does Denzel Washington steal the show?

Washington lights the screen ablaze with his Shakespearean delivery and campy, two-faced façade.
— Siddhant Adlakha, Inverse

Washington makes a six-course meal of his role… His line readings are geniusly unhinged, destined to become as instantly iconic as his “King Kong ain’t got s–t on me.”
— Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

Washington is in his element and a blast to watch.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today

That man delivered a character I didn’t know we needed… Give him the Best Supporting Actor nomination now.
— Catalina Combs, Black Girl Nerds

Denzel Washington is having the time of his life, taking the wind from any other performer he plays opposite, delivering the scene-stealing performance of the year.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

The movie’s vitality gets a boost when it steps out from the original’s shadow, as it does with gusto whenever Denzel Washington is onscreen. He turns in a lip-smacking performance.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Washington’s performance is the film’s wild card because you can’t pin him down.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Washington is so enjoyable that the movie sags whenever he’s not on screen… He simply commands every scene he has, slyly smiling with a wicked twinkle in his eye. It’s genuinely thrilling to see him up on the screen.
— Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm

Are there any other noteworthy performances?

Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are deliciously insane.
— Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

Quinn and Hechinger are hilariously unhinged in their diabolical roles, making Geta and Caracalla petulant man-babies as buffoonish as they are vicious.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Quinn and Hechinger are brilliantly unhinged.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider

Hechinger and Quinn are priceless as the bats–t crazy twin Emperors eating up whatever scenery they can find.
— Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood Daily

Pascal turns in one of his more surprisingly sympathetic performances.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

Pascal is phenomenal every time he is on screen and, if I am being honest, is underused.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Ultimately, will we not be entertained?

Scott’s sequel is the epitome of an epic, its towering sets, opulent costumes, and bustling crowd scenes bringing Ancient Rome to life in all its excess. He offers audiences a glistening feast for the eyes… There’s no way not to be entertained.
— Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

Nicely staged, and enthusiastically performed, Gladiator II will not bore audiences.
— Chris Wasser, Sunday Independent

It is not perfect, but I promise you will be entertained.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Gladiator II will leave you entertained, but leave you with an unfortunate feeling of déjà vu.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider

At Gladiator II, are we not entertained? We are. But that’s not necessarily the same as enthralled.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Thumbnail image by ©Paramount Pictures

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