Paul Mescal in Gladiator II
Credit: Special Arrangement
A sequel to Gladiator, the movie which drew admiration and could be counted as one of the best works in the 20 years is something fans have long been looking forward to.
Filling the shoes of Russel Crowe and crafting a story as engaging and riveting is hard, and unfortunately Gladiator II falls short of living up to the legacy.
Set a few years after the death of Maximus, Gladiator II brings to fore power, politics, love, and friendship. The plot follows the life of Hanno, a soldier who is captured by the Roman army and brought back to Rome as a slave who becomes a gladiator.
The dreams of Marcus Aurelius and Maximus seem to have faded, for Rome is back to where it was, under the tyranny of Emperors Geta and Caracalla, with their general aiming to dethrone them as Maximus once tried.
There are multiple similarities between the original and the sequel, with Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprising their roles as Lucilla and Senator Gracchus respectively. Paul Mescal plays the role of Hanno, who seeks to avenge the death of his wife at the hands of General Marcus Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal.
Hanno ends up in the stable of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Harbouring dreams to take over the throne, Macrinus as a character could have been better utilised.
A reunion of Lucius with his mother and a reference to Maximus should have ideally invoked more emotions, but the overall theme of the movie is flat and it pales in comparison to the original.
While Gladiator is a movie one could watch multiple times and not feel bored, Gladiator II fails in the arena, with the thumbs down from the emperor signifying its fate.