From Carmen and “St
Chronology
After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now rule Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past for the strength to restore Rome to its glory for his people. Elsewhere” to “Stranger Things,” check out the TV and movie roles of Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn and more. In the years since the first film’s release, many attempts have been made to write a sequel. Musician Nick Cave was tapped to write a version by Russell Crowe and Sir Ridley Scott. His version focused on the more mythical elements of ancient Rome and would have seen Maximus reach the afterlife, only to face other souls who have yet to ascend further. Eventually, he is tasked by Jupiter and other Roman deities to return to Earth to find and kill Hephaestus, an ancient deity who betrayed them.
Lucius: Strength and Honor
From there, he is resurrected as a Christian and finds himself returning to Rome, on a mission to stop the spread of Christianity, while crossing paths with the new emperor, Lucius. The film would have ended with Maximus cursed to live forever, with a montage of the soldier fighting in the Crusades, World War II, and the Vietnam War, eventually revealing a modern-day Maximus working at the Pentagon in Washington. The studio decided not to move forward with this version, but the script is available to read online. Featured in The 7PM Project: July 3, 2024 episode (2024). I tried not to compare #2 to #1 while watching it, but they make it very difficult. It’s really a sequel, almost a remake.
But it’s not all bad and still worth a watch
Flashbacks, similar scenes, same music: they constantly reference the first film. And so you end up comparing the new film to the epic Gladiator, and sure, it loses. The “games” at the Colosseum are beautifully presented and yes, exotic animals and water fights did take place there in Roman times. The twin emperors are magnificently insane and, while different from Commodus in #1, just as dangerous. Connie Nielson provided some acting continuity from #1 and did a great job as the older but increasingly influential Lucilla. At first I was disappointed with Paul Mescal’s performance, but in hindsight I wonder if it was the character rather than his performance that was disappointing.
So that was the right thing
Hanno is not Maximus, he is not a leader of men, he is not a charismatic warrior; in fact, he says so several times in the film. But maybe that’s what Scott is getting at this time. Can even a common soldier achieve great things? The problem is very simple: there is no epic in this movie. Gladiator was full of epic: the fighting, the irrepressible and charismatic character of Maximus, who was believable at all times as a natural leader of men. The emotional attachment to the characters, the epic quotes throughout the movie.
It’s probably a 65/10 for me
The final scene and the main melody. I get goosebumps just thinking about it right now. And Gladiator 2 has none of that. In fact, it sometimes blatantly tries to “reuse” some of the epicness of the first one. So overall, as much as I tried to avoid simply comparing it to the first one, they made that feat impossible, and unfortunately, it falls far short in comparison. It’s a blockbuster to watch, but it doesn’t threaten the original’s crown.