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When this sequel was formally announced I’d not thought Gladiator II was a very good title. The lack of a subordinate subtitle just didn’t seem appropriate for a film of this nature. They don’t even throw in the word part, I mean where’s the class in that? Having now seen the movie it turns out to be even worse because what this is actually called, according to what comes up at the start, is Gladiiator like it’s a fricking Fast & Furious flick. 

Turns out I needn’t have got my knickers in a twist though because the whole thing is like a fricking Fast & Furious flick. Despite following a much respected and highly garlanded work of modern cinema, a film that is widely considered a moving and beautiful historical epic, this is one actually all very silly. I don’t think a follow up film has been as tonally different to what came before since Batman Forever followed Batman Returns and even those may not have had as much of a contrast. This is like promising The Shawshank Redemption and then delivering Con Air. 

It’s hard to know what to highlight in this respect. Maybe the huge demon baboons or the man riding a rhino, possibly the hidden doors opened by Indiana Jones style buttons in the wall. You might question the way they flood the amphitheater to stage a sea battle. I know there is historical evidence that they actually did this in Roman times but if you look up the practice, known as Naumachia, you’ll quickly discover it did not involve giant sharks. Then there is the clumsy ‘I’m Spartacus’ moment. I have to admit that was a favourite. In the end though I think it is the corny dialogue, the underwritten characterisation and the laughable predictably of the entire thing. 

You might take issue with every actor, from Denzel Washington from Matt Lucas, doing their own intonation as well but after what director Ridley Scott did with the Italian accents in House of Gucci this is probably for the best.

Also, you know that Scott thinks this is a comparable work to 2000’s Gladiator too, and that just makes it all the more fun. That’s the thing you see, for all of this Gladiiator is a tremendous amount of fun. It runs for a hundred and sixty eight minutes and i have to say I enjoyed every one of them. I was most certainly entertained. Last time Ridley Scott returned to one of his classic movies it was awful but this, in its own way, is actually great. There are some really good performances here as well; Washington is so good as the conniving gladiator owner and Pedro Pascal is superb. In fact Pascal is essentially playing Russel Crowe’s part from the original, more than lead Paul Mescal. I suspect they didn’t know which way to go with the main character so just split him in two but it works. 

There is also the way the film works as a metaphor for the state of Trump’s new America with an unquestioning populace propping up a vain and pompous supreme leader and his self serving senators which brings an enjoyable angle, but that is attributing something to it that it doesn’t earn. Deliberately weaving this into the film would have been very prescient and besides, it’s not that deep.

So, if you go into this expecting a worthy sequel to a modern masterpiece you’ll be disappointed. If you want an enjoyable romp through every Roman cliche, with exciting battles, fantastic sets, nicely designed visual effects and impressive imagery, then carpe diem.