Nerdly » ‘Gladiator II’ Blu-ray Review

26th Feb2025

‘Gladiator II’ Blu-ray Review

by Alex Ginnelly

Stars: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi, Fred Hechinger, Rory McCann, Matt Lucas | Written by David Scarpa | Directed by Ridley Scott

24 years later and the sequel, which has been re-written, reworked, and felt like it would never come, has finally hit our screens. Soon after the release of the best picture-winning original, Nick Cave was tasked with writing the sequel. His vision saw the return of Maximus (Russel Crowe) and his descent into the afterlife. The original script is available to read online and involves ancient Roman Gods and a montage of wars including the Crusades, World War II, and the Vietnam War. In another universe somewhere, that’s the film we would have all flocked to see, and good or bad, it would have certainly been a bold and unique take. The direction the sequel has finally taken is far more simple than the Nick Cave script, and as a result, is the best film Ridley Scott has made in a very long time.

Ridley Scott has had a largely hit-and-miss last couple of decades. With every good film, there seems to be a bad one waiting around the corner, as if the Gods flip a coin every time he signs up to direct. The sum of this hit-and-miss has maybe never been more true than in 2021, when Scott had two movies released. The Last Duel, a fantastic medieval picture that brought out all the best of in Scott, and then there was House of Gucci, which did the exact opposite. For me, Scott has always been one of our greats, someone who has done great work in every decade he’s been directing, with a number of masterpieces to his name. Scott is someone who still continues to take risks, and no matter the quality, the latest Ridley Scott film is always worth the ticket price.

Now Scott’s latest film is Gladiator II (only the second time he has revisited one of his worlds, the other being the Alien world), and it shows why Scott is one of the very best, as it proves to be the largest and best blockbuster of the year. Though the story does not follow Maximus battling Roman Gods, it does continue from the world he left. 16 years after the events of the first movie, Rome never achieved the dream of Marcus Aurelius, instead it is still under the control of corrupt Emperors. And, as a now adult Lucius (Paul Mescal) is taken as a slave and thrown to fight in the coliseum, he may be the last hope of Rome to ensure his grandfather’s dream turns into a reality.

Twenty minutes in, and my only thoughts were, here we go again. After a beautifully put together credit sequence, the film seemed as if we were just going to retrace the same steps as the first film. An angry protagonist, set out on revenge, setting the film up for more of a remake than a sequel. But slowly, scene by scene, I found new ideas, new twists on the tale and new characters more interesting than anything we had before. Once the film found its own voice, it started to shine, and come to life in a very large way.

The first film has earned its flowers and personally, I have always been a fan. I have, however, never been its biggest fan, I enjoy the first instalment but find the pace slows down every time Maximus is not on screen. Every moment you’re not with Maximus, and instead in the court of Rome, it feels hard to get through, this time Ridley Scott has found the answer. An answer that is so often the one that works… cast Denzel Washington. He’s the missing piece, the answer to the riddle, the final ingredient in the recipe. Every time he opens his mouth or simply walks on screen, the film comes to life. His performance is one of the most operatic and best of the year, one you can’t take your eyes off, and those dull court scenes suddenly have a beating heart, and they have never been as interesting.

In a film with so many larger-than-life set pieces it would normally be strange to say that the biggest thing on screen is the star power, presence, and performance of one man, but in the case of Gladiator II, Denzel Washington IS that man. Luckily enough for us, the rest of the cast all carry their own and never get left behind by Denzel. He may be dragging some parts of the film along, but he never leaves anyone behind. The rest of the cast are stellar and make for an incredible ensemble. Pedro Pascal, in particular, makes for a much more interesting character to go up against our protagonist. There is no real evil here, and unlike the first film, you’re not entirely sure who to root for, this dynamic makes for a much more interesting conflict.

The moments away from court are in the coliseum. This time they are bigger and better than ever. Who cares if some of the historical accuracy isn’t correct, that’s not why we’re here. We’re for the grand blockbuster, the large-scale fight sequence and set pieces, and if that’s what you’ve paid to see then you’ll get more than your money’s worth. In truth the action set pieces are some of the very best to be put to screen in a long time, it’s epic filmmaking brought to life by one of the best to ever do it. With every scene in the coliseum as engaging as the ones out of it it’s hard not to call this one of the best times in a cinema this year. So, in short, yes Ridley, I was entertained.