Among Hollywood’s historical epics, many consider the 2000 film, Gladiatoras one of the best. Not only did director Ridley Scott create a magnificent spectacle, but he also won numerous awards, proving that critics and fans alike were impressed. This is why many are now eager to see Gladiator II unfold. Some feared the new venture would be a cheap money grab.

Fortunately, the trailers have kept many viewers coming back to watch the film. Gladiator franchise and see this expanded universe. The original dealt with Russell Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius, while this sequel follows his son, Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus, as a warrior fighting to liberate Rome. But as great as the previous film was, the sequel is better in several ways.

10 Gladiator II makes animals scarier

Sharks, baboons and rhinos outshine the tiger

The first Gladiator The film showed Maximus fighting a warrior, Tigre and tigers. This was a way for the arena to shift into high gear to stop the former war commander. Fortunately, Maximus prevailed in what was truly a grounded twist in the arena. In the second film, Scott changes things when Lucius comes to Rome as a gladiator. First, Lucius has to fight baboons at the Colosseum. Baboons are trained to eat human flesh, so he bites one before killing it.. Second, Lucius fights an alpha trooper on a rhino. He blinds the rhino with sand and paves the way to victory.

Gladiator 2 Reception Details

Finally, Lucius fights on a platform surrounded by sharks and water. This is far from an escape route, into which warriors fall and get eaten. Scott speeds things up and makes all these animals even scarier. The visual majesty is exponentially more impressive, even if the logic or science doesn’t add up. Yet the spectacle is so breathtaking that no one cares how the sharks and water are transported to transform the place. Fans accept how these beasts are displaced from the animal kingdom. They do everything possible to remain predators at the top of the food chain..

9 Gladiator II has more political themes

Gladiator II better shows classism and elitism

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In the first film, Maximus wanted to kill Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus after the villain murdered his father, Marcus Aurelius, and stole the throne. Marcus wanted Maximus to succeed him, not his son, because he believed Maximus could unite a divided Rome. However, this film was more about personal vendettas and less about actual politics. It came down to Commodus and Maximus’ rivalry, the prince’s jealousy, and how Maximus remained stoic and selfless.

Gladiator II explores more of the politics of Rome and moves away from focusing solely on grudges. It shows thousands of Romans in poverty, begging for food.. Unfortunately, the elites wine and dine while society deteriorates. This proves that these wealthy individuals don’t care if they are short of taxpayer dollars. It’s an indictment of how politicians care about their own gains. Once they have food and lovers, they carry on as if all is right in the world. The politicians continue to party, while distracting the population with the arena and the parties.

8 Gladiator II has a mystical side

The family tragedy of Gladiator II has a magical aura

In the first film, Commodus had Maximus’ wife and son killed. It was the driving force of the film. They haunted Maximus, not as ghosts, but in flashbacks. The sequel has a more mystical air, even if it is subtly realized in dreams. Initially, Acacius kills Lucius’ wife Arishat, leading to Lucius becoming a slave after being hidden in the opening act.

Paul Mescal Details

During the film, Lucius dreams of Arichat and the River Styx, and sees the boatman guiding her to the afterlife.. This spirituality fits into the concept of the underworld and gives the film a supernatural touch. It’s much more intriguing, and riffs on religion and gods, compared to what Maximus endured. This adds a new dimension to the story and shows how willing Scott is to explore and push creative boundaries with new elements.

7 Gladiator II makes Marcus Aurelius a shady character

Gladiator II correctly addresses white slavers

In the first film, Proximo admitted to his slave, Maximus, that gladiators like him had been freed by Marcus Aurelius. This helped him bond with the commander he bought. The emperor at the time wanted peace. Maximus used this story as motivation. He considered Proximo a kindred spirit and the dead emperor a martyr. However, the film downplayed the fact that Marcus Aurelius was cruel in his youth.

Gladiator II modifies this by revealing the past of Denzel Washington’s Macrinus. He is a former slave who hates belonging to Marcus Aurelius. This is why he wants to use his resources and his gladiators to ascend the throne: he views his coup as an insult to all people in positions of power, such as Marcus Aurelius, who owned and mistreated people of color. The late emperor may have been a father figure to Maximus, but he was a businessman interested in capitalism and exploitation.

6 Gladiator II lets the hero live

Gladiator II doesn’t kill Lucius like Maximus

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Gladiator hearts broken when Maximus killed Commodus but also died. Everything was done to send him to the afterlife to meet his family. Many fans believed that such a hero deserved the throne and a chance to bring peace after uniting the citizens. Gladiator II reworks this in a way that would appeal to viewers.

The villains are killed, leaving Lucius free to take over as Emperor in the finale. He knows it is his birthright and a destiny far greater than his love for his wife.. It sets up interesting stories for Gladiator III. Lucius also loses his mother, Lucilla, so the hero will have to live with the agony, shaping a more nuanced future for an invested audience.

5 Gladiator II better addresses the cost of war

Gladiator II shows how soldiers are used and abused in genocides

The twin emperors Geta and Caracalla wanted their Roman army to continue colonizing and conquering. They don’t care about genocides, bloodshed, or the PTSD their soldiers suffer from.. They hoped to expand the empire, although they were unable to support these new regions. Emperors even say that ordinary people should “eat war.” This angers Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius.

The general no longer wants to be a war hero and a puppet. He plots with his wife, Lucilla, to overthrow these leaders and bring peace. This is what his trainer (Maximus) and former lord (Marcus Aurelius) would want. They hated the war, but they continued to be part of the machine. Acacius realizes that he is being hypocritical by invading other kingdoms. Seeing Acacius become a rebel leader gives more depth to the price of war and why he must break the machine, not just participate in it.

4 Gladiator II’s Villains Are More Unbalanced

Macrinus, Geta and Caracalla from Gladiator II are scarier than Commodus

Commodus was well played, but it felt ordinary. Although he loved his sister, Lucilla, incest was also common at this time for the royal family. Ultimately, he was everything people expected in a power-hungry narcissist. Gladiator II the bad guys are much more unbalanced. Geta and Caracalla love to see gladiators die. They have fun with it, especially Caracalla, who mistakes his pet monkey for an advisor..

Macrinus is also quite unbalanced. He helps Caracalla kill Geta, then parades Geta’s head to win the Senate. He later kills Caracalla inside the arena when a fight breaks out. It’s full of backstabbing bad guys with big egos who love to parade their victories. This comes to a head when Macrinus shoots an arrow at Lucilla in the arena to kill her lineage.. He doesn’t care if the citizens hate him; he does what he wants.

3 Gladiator II gives Lucilla a bigger role

Lucilla from Gladiator II has more agency with the rebels

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Sometimes Lucilla would try to work with Gracchus to help free Maximus and form a revolution against Commodus. Unfortunately, most of her story was relegated to the fact that she had an affair with Maximus and hid it from young Lucius.. At this point, she didn’t feel like she had much power and was just the object that men desired and fought for.

In the sequel, Lucilla plots further with Acacius regarding the rebellion. She helps convince Lucius to forget about revenge and focus on the throne.. She inspires her son to lead in the end. Macrinus feared Lucille as a symbol, the people revered her, while Acacius died in the arena after trying to liberate Rome in her name. Lucilla is more interconnected than before with the different arcs taking place.

2 Gladiator II has more emotional conflicts

Gladiator II’s heroes and villains have more inner turmoil

The first film didn’t have much emotional conflict with its characters. Maximus and Lucilla wanted Commodus dead, and Commodus wanted them dead. THE Gladiator the sequel however has more layers.

Lucius wants to kill Acacius for the murder of his wife, but he realizes that Acacius was a pawn. Lucius also hates Lucilla for sending him away, so he must repair this bond, knowing that she did it to protect him from usurpers. Even senators are torn as they choose sides in the civil war. All parties are made all the more unpredictable because of divided allegiances and morals.

1 Gladiator II has better fight choreography

Gladiator II’s action scenes are smoother

The first Gladiator had typical fare involving swordplay, archery, and chariot chases. It made sense for this period of filmmaking. Gladiator II works on technological advancement, as well as the evolution of combat choreography. As such, the fight scenes are a step forward. The fights are faster, bolder and feel like Scott took influence from John Wick And Game of Thrones.

The gladiators are thus better differentiated, with more character and personality. This is best summed up by Lucius, who is more ruthless and maims his opponents in brutal ways.. His iconic beheading of an enemy is worthy of a Mortal Combat Fatality, affirming that the director wants to stay in the cinematic spirit of the times.

Gladiator II is now in theaters.

Follows Lucius, the son of Maximus’ love Lucilla, after Maximus’s death.

Director

Ridley Scott

Release date

November 22, 2024

Cast

Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, May Calamawy, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, Alexander Karim, Tim McInnerny, Lee Charles, Chidi Ajufo, Alfie Tempest, Riana Duce, Chi Lewis Parry, Paul Candelent, Hadrian Howard, Alexander Simkin, Mikhail Basmadjian, Matthieu Charlery-Smith, Maxime Durand, Lior Raz

Writers

David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni

Main genre

Adventure

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Character(s)

Lucius Verus, Marcus Acacius, Macrinus, Lucilla, Emperor Caracalla, Emperor Geta, Gracchus

Develop