Gladiator II

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

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Ridley Scott (“Blade Runner”) continues his Gladiator epic with a sequel “Gladiator II.” This chapter advances the authoritarian storyline, with Rome collapsing. It contains some frenzied if predictable battle scenes and the showdown is to be expected. Yet with the inclusion of three villains and some hair-raising battle scenes, one will be well entertained.

The film begins 16 years after the preceding segment and follows the virile prisoner turned gladiator Lucius (Paul Mescal). Lucius survives attack after attack by both man and beast, attracting the attention of sociopathic social climber Macrinus (Denzel Washington). Macrinus hires Lucius for fight after fight. Macrinus is ultimately controlled by Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn) and his twin Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) who grow increasingly more amoral and capricious. Lucius is the son of Maximus (played by Russell Crowe in the first chapter). As shown in the first installment, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) is Maximus’s lover and Lucius’s mother though they grew apart during the first segment.

Lucius takes on the mantle of honorable Rome while facing monstrous man-eating monkeys, gargantuan rhinos, and insatiable giant sharks, surviving every encounter. The two ghoulish twins who want to see him die become increasingly vexed to the point of hysteria. Denzel Washington is fitting in his villainous role.

His callous nature is hypnotic. Lucius is highly watchable too, the idealism he displays brings to mind Jesus as well as practical and humanistic heroes. Last but not least, General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) is the stepfather caught in the unfortunate middle.

There is enough of Good Vs. Evil and yin / yang to make the soap opera handling compelling.

While this epic is short on history and brimming with Grand Guignol, Ridley Scott delivers the men you love to hate, which makes a satisfying matinee, albeit in the mode of a Creature Feature.

Write Ian at ianfree11@yahoo.com