A hand caresses ears of corn in a field of wheat… This shot, emblematic of Ridley Scott’s cult film, Gladiatoris also present in its sequel, currently in cinemas. Of course, that’s not the only thing the two films have in common. While Gladiator 2 is currently in theaters, TMC is broadcasting the first part this Monday evening. Should you see it (or rewatch it) before rushing to the cinema? 20 Minutes takes stock.
First of all, it may be too late to ask the question… Gladiator 2 has already exceeded one million spectators in five days, one of the best starts of the year. While it will only be released in a week in the United States, the film has already earned 90 million euros in revenue. Let’s say you weren’t one of these first-time spectators…
A very simple plot
If 24 years have passed between the two parts, in the plot it is around fifteen years which separate the events. The characters played by Joaquin Phoenix and Russell Crowe are dead. On the other hand, we find Lucius, who has grown up and is now played by Paul Mescal. We also find Lucilla, his mother, always played by Connie Nielsen. In the first Gladiatorit could be assumed that Lucius was the son of Maximus. This is confirmed in this sequel.
General Marcus Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal, is a new character, just like that of Denzel Washington, Macrinus. We find an ally of Maximus and a crooked Roman senator already present in the first part but, roughly speaking, it is useless to have seen the 2000 film to understand the 2024 film. We can even easily say that Gladiator 2 is a fairly easy film to understand…
“Subtle” references
That being said, Ridley Scott had fun hiding a lot of nods to his first Gladiator including entire scenes “copied” from the first part. The director’s desire was to make an even more visually impressive film. He therefore takes it upon himself to show the differences between the shots of his two films.
This visual overkill, which is also a fault of the film pointed out by several critics, allows us to forget the plot which is also quite crude. Several in the first Gladiator have also expressed their annoyance: according to them, the destiny of the new character – whose deep motivations are not always very clear – is not worth the dazzling gesture of Maximus, the betrayed general who wants to avenge his family and his honor.
With ?
So, review Gladiator from 2000 undoubtedly allows you to immerse yourself in the world of Ridley Scott before discovering his new creation. But judging by some disappointed spectators, the comparison is not to the advantage of the second.
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Another solution is to only watch the film broadcast on TMC and not go to the cinema to see the sequel. But then you’d miss sharks, rhinos and very muscular monkeys in the Colosseum. And a plan on ears of wheat…
