Gladiator II (2024)
November 19, 2024 1:29 PM - Subscribe
After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.
I was entertained. It's a good movie, excellent action sequences and great effects. But it follows the story beats of the first one pretty closely so it feels a bit of a retread. It's not like an Aliens or Godfather Part 2, a sequel that takes the first one forward.
I wasn't expecting historical accuracy, but I found I couldn't suspend disbelief in the ending which reaches Inglourious Basterds levels. Maybe after restoring the Roman Republic in 217AD Lucius could have time travelled to the 20th century and chopped Hitler's head off with sword-scissors?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:39 PM on November 19, 2024
I wasn't expecting historical accuracy, but I found I couldn't suspend disbelief in the ending which reaches Inglourious Basterds levels. Maybe after restoring the Roman Republic in 217AD Lucius could have time travelled to the 20th century and chopped Hitler's head off with sword-scissors?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:39 PM on November 19, 2024
I still would have liked to have seen the crazeballs Nick Cave take on a sequel.
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:45 PM on November 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:45 PM on November 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
The Nick Cave script sounds amazing but I can't imagine "Gladiator II: Christ Killer" ever being made by a studio.
I'm disappointed that it seems no-one has ever tried making a movie from the sci-fi classic novel "The Legion of Time" by Jack Williamson, which has a team of elite warriors recruited from across history by a time-traveller to fight a battle in the far future. That could make such a great action movie.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:21 AM on November 20, 2024 [2 favorites]
I'm disappointed that it seems no-one has ever tried making a movie from the sci-fi classic novel "The Legion of Time" by Jack Williamson, which has a team of elite warriors recruited from across history by a time-traveller to fight a battle in the far future. That could make such a great action movie.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:21 AM on November 20, 2024 [2 favorites]
I'll not be catching this in the theater, but reviews have been somewhat middling. I think it really depends on what you go in expecting. I had the hardest time trying to figure the plot out from the trailers, which I felt was a bad sign. I don't need all the beats, mind you, I just was looking for a "Who is doing what and why now again?"
I'm disappointed that it seems no-one has ever tried making a movie from the sci-fi classic novel "The Legion of Time" by Jack Williamson, which has a team of elite warriors recruited from across history by a time-traveller to fight a battle in the far future. That could make such a great action movie.
We got a movie about time travelers gathering significant people throughout history for a school presentation, we gotta be happy with that.
posted by Atreides at 6:51 AM on November 20, 2024 [5 favorites]
I'm disappointed that it seems no-one has ever tried making a movie from the sci-fi classic novel "The Legion of Time" by Jack Williamson, which has a team of elite warriors recruited from across history by a time-traveller to fight a battle in the far future. That could make such a great action movie.
We got a movie about time travelers gathering significant people throughout history for a school presentation, we gotta be happy with that.
posted by Atreides at 6:51 AM on November 20, 2024 [5 favorites]
The most important question (for me): is Pedro Pascal shirtless at all?
posted by Kitteh at 7:06 AM on November 20, 2024 [4 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 7:06 AM on November 20, 2024 [4 favorites]
I don't remember Pedro Pascal having his shirt off. Paul Mescal does for quite a while though, and he's definitely been working out since All Of Us Strangers.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 7:12 AM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 7:12 AM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]
Thx. I mean, I just like looking at Pascal whether or not he has his kit on.
posted by Kitteh at 7:23 AM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 7:23 AM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]
I will go see this movie for my imaginary boyfriend Pedro Pascal, shirtless or not.
posted by maddieD at 9:10 AM on November 20, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by maddieD at 9:10 AM on November 20, 2024 [2 favorites]
I would have bet my life on the idea that the Nick Cave script would never have been made, but it's still glorious!
Speaking of time travelling soldiers and Rome, I wonder whatever happened with that script that started on Reddit from a question about what would happen if a battalion of US Marines ended up back in Ancient Rome - answer: development hell
posted by drewbage1847 at 1:21 PM on November 21, 2024 [2 favorites]
Speaking of time travelling soldiers and Rome, I wonder whatever happened with that script that started on Reddit from a question about what would happen if a battalion of US Marines ended up back in Ancient Rome - answer: development hell
posted by drewbage1847 at 1:21 PM on November 21, 2024 [2 favorites]
Just saw this mess at the theater, and it was fun. Lots of, uh, historical hash and general unreality, but entertaining. I could pick nits about some of the material culture on screen, but honestly I thought it conveyed verisimilitude.
The film is not as good as GLADIATOR, even with all its faults. Paul Mescal's Lucius is is a pale shadow of Russell Crowe's Maximus, on many counts, and Mescal just generally does not have sufficient presence to balance out the big names. When you're eagerly waiting for the supporting actors to show up, it's not a great sign.
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:01 PM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
The film is not as good as GLADIATOR, even with all its faults. Paul Mescal's Lucius is is a pale shadow of Russell Crowe's Maximus, on many counts, and Mescal just generally does not have sufficient presence to balance out the big names. When you're eagerly waiting for the supporting actors to show up, it's not a great sign.
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:01 PM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
Some historical notes: Did gladiators really do that?
Lucius and Acacius also have breastplates on. Real gladiators had bare chests. It showed off their physique, but also added an element of danger. They had to work harder to protect themselves if they were half naked. So we really should have seen more bare chests...posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:19 PM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
Lucius and Acacius are not in the right gear at all, they have their limbs exposed and their chests covered - the complete opposite of what they should be wearing.
Yes, the games were very popular. Some things we don't have good evidence for, but there are many solid depictions and descriptions of gladiators and their gear. Scott is not averse to taking liberties in pursuit of his vision.
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:54 AM on November 24, 2024
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:54 AM on November 24, 2024
Historian Bret Devereaux of A Collection Of Unmitigated Pedantry has a review out and he's not a fan.
The “problem” plaguing this Rome is that effeminate or queer-coded men have power, and the solution is for that power to be violently returned to where it belongs—to straight, muscular strongmen...posted by TheophileEscargot at 8:47 PM on November 26, 2024 [4 favorites]
The thematic point that Rome needs to be saved from decadent, effeminate men like Caracalla and put into the hands of soldiers is omnipresent. The irony is that the real, historical Caracalla was exactly the sort of man Scott appears to imagine as the savior of Rome—and was a terrible emperor for it. Caracalla was a consummate soldier, sufficiently uninterested in politics to leave most of the quotidian details to his mother. After taking power following the death of his father, he murdered his brother, Geta, and then left Rome to command his armies for the rest of his reign, never to return. In historical sources, Caracalla is a man of violence—brutal and tyrannical but perfectly sane. His frequent military campaigns and generous payments to the army emptied Rome’s coffers, while his oppressive style of rule alienated its elite.
Gladiator II likewise assumes a sharp distinction between Rome’s generals and its supposedly civil elite that simply didn’t exist in the Roman aristocracy. The decadent Roman elite and the hardened Roman general were one and the same.
I thought it was pretty boring. Another woman dying at the beginning of the film, setting our protagonist off on his emotional journey, whee! All of the plot points were super predictable, so what do we have left? Sure, I’ll watch Denzel chew scenery! I wish Pedro had been a bit chewier. The shark battle was pretty fun, esp if you’re on a naval war kick like me.
This week I watched GII and Megalopolis, which was a pretty fun double feature. I think Aubrey Plaza’s character might have fit better here.
posted by emkelley at 8:02 AM on November 27, 2024 [2 favorites]
This week I watched GII and Megalopolis, which was a pretty fun double feature. I think Aubrey Plaza’s character might have fit better here.
posted by emkelley at 8:02 AM on November 27, 2024 [2 favorites]
Just caught up in this. Not really worth the wait. Mescal was unconvincing, and not just regarding his accent. Denzel makes for a good viper but no one else makes much of an impression. The fight scenes weren't well structured or set up. Lucius' arc as a leader wasn't well supported by the text. The most positive thing I can say is Denzel's wardrobe was excellent.
Pure cash in with little worth as a movie.
I also disliked that they made Gladiator worse by highlighting how Maximus had utterly failed.
posted by biffa at 4:26 PM on November 29, 2024
Pure cash in with little worth as a movie.
I also disliked that they made Gladiator worse by highlighting how Maximus had utterly failed.
posted by biffa at 4:26 PM on November 29, 2024
I just saw this today and, while my expectations were low, they weren't low enough. Fridging Lucius's wife in the first sequence was incredibly lazy, but I guess there's no other way to motivate men in those days. The plot twist was both predictable and dumb, undermining key themes in the original. We never got an explanation of where the Trump Emperor Bros. came from. The rhino battle was a cool idea, executed terribly. The CG was shockingly bad for such a high-profile film. The sea battle was the best of the lot, and I guess there really are freshwater sharks so I can't complain too much about that. The lead actor wasn't any more terrible than the rest of the cast, but he lacks something. When Russell Crowe was on the screen in the original he commanded your attention in a way that Paul Mescal doesn't. Denzel was erratic; he gleefully chewed scenery in some segments, and seemed bored in others. Nobody in this universe should be allowed to plot anything sneaky, they're genuinely terrible at it and always tell their plans to traitors. It was kind of interesting when the crowd almost figured out there were a lot more of them than there were Praetorian arrows. Maybe it was always going to be impossible to top "Gladiator", but this was an incredibly lazy attempt. I was genuinely disappointed by this; I went in for some good popcorn fun, not "Citizen Kane" and was relieved when the movie finally ended. 1.5 stars, would not recommend.
posted by wintermind at 6:34 PM on December 22, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by wintermind at 6:34 PM on December 22, 2024 [1 favorite]
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