Gladiator 2 first reviews: Critics call Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington sequel ‘imitative’ but ‘entertaining’ | Hollywood

Those who think about the Roman Empire deserve better’

Gladiator 2 received mixed reviews from critics, with reactions ranging from calling it ‘serviceable’ to ‘popcorn film of the year’. At the time of writing the film received a rating of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

Vulture wrote that ‘it’s easier to imagine audiences snickering than weeping over Gladiator II’. The reviewer even compared it to writer David Scarpa’s last outing Napoleon writing that it ‘tends to land in an uneasy place between inadvertent and intentional funniness. A portion of the review read, “I didn’t adore Gladiator, but I appreciated the melodramatic conviction at its core, the way it was unabashedly emotional about grief and justice and restoring order to the world. Sure, not all of us spend a lot of time thinking about the Roman Empire, but those who do deserve better than this.”

Variety wrote that ‘it’s not praise’ but Gladiator 2 is ‘as good as we could have expected it to be.’ The reviewer also called it ‘a solid piece of neoclassical popcorn — a serviceable epic of brutal warfare’. A portion of the review called the sequel a ‘mere shadow’ of Gladiator, “It’s a Saturday-night epic of tony escapism. But is it great? A movie to love the way that some of us love “Gladiator”? No and no. It’s ultimately a mere shadow of that movie. But it’s just diverting enough to justify its existence.”

The Wrap had a similar opinion, stating that the sequel goes through the ‘same motions’ as the original, writing, “So we have a different gladiator and two evil emperors, but a lot of “Gladiator II” is familiar to the point of redundance. David Scarpa’s screenplay — with a co-story credit by Peter Craig — draws so many parallels between the new film and the old one that it seems to forget that dramatic parallels have to mean something, or else they’re just two straight lines.”

‘By far the best popcorn film of the year’

However, some reviewers thought Gladiator 2 was entertaining despite its flaws. BBC thought the film ‘balances emotional drama and social themes with all-out action spectacle.’ They also praised the action sequences, writing, “In the big-action arena scenes, Scott pulls out all the stops. A Roman enters riding a rhino. The editing is kinetic as tigers and baboons are unleashed against Lucius and the other gladiators, who are called barbarians.” They also called it ‘by far the best popcorn film of the year’.

The Guardian made a joke about Groundhog Day, drawing comparisons between the original and the sequel. They also praised Paul for his performance, writing, “At 28, Paul Mescal is younger than Crowe’s 36 when he took the lead in G1, but he is massively bulked up with a new sonorous Britspeak growl: charismatic and likable in the ways Mescal always is.” They also praised Denzel’s performance, writing that he ‘amost steals the entire picture’.

The Hollywood Reporter also acknowledged the sequel’s ‘déjà vu quality’, calling it ‘imitative’. They also wrote that the ‘movie’s vitality gets a boost when it steps out of the original’s shadow’. Also praising Denzel’s performance, they wrote, “He turns in a lip-smacking performance as Macrinus, a Machiavellian former slave now living in high style off the profits of his stable of gladiators and patiently plotting a secret agenda to acquire greater wealth and power.”

About Gladiator 2

Gladiator 2 stars stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. Derek and Connie reprise their roles from the first film, with Paul replacing Spencer Treat Clark. He plays Lucius, the son of Maximus and Lucilla, who becomes a gladiator after his home is invaded by the Roman army led by General Marcus Acacius. The film will be released on November 15.