Gladiator II

Released 24 years after the original movie and set 16 years after its events, Gladiator II has Lucius Verus, now confirmed to be the son of Maximus, go through similar events as his father though with a calculating gladiator owner using him to gain the highest of powers in Rome. David Scarpa's script does copy certain aspects from the first movie, however this works in its favor for the most part due to how those similar concepts are presented through different executions because of how Rome is ruled now and what drives Lucius compared to his father. In an age where everything is nearly green screened and no real sets are built, Ridley Scott's use of large real sets really shows how despite his age, the man keeps true to where and when his movies are set. Yes, there are things that are not true to the times and the CGI can make it over the top like filling the Colosseum with water and sharks for an authentic ship battle or a man riding a rhino, but Scott also knows how to not be afraid of being so out there in how crazy it really is. Paul Mescal, who replaced Spencer Treat Clark, makes for a great successor to Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington makes for such a charming villain, Pedro Pascal brings a great vulnerability to his character, Connie Nielsen makes a wonderful return as Lucius's mother, and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger both give fun, though often a bit too over the top, performances as the twin emperors. One thing that this sequel has over its predecessor is that unlike the first one, it doesn't have an over use of slow motion and weird editing. It also has great cinematography from John Mathieson and the score by Harry Gregson-Williams is really good. It is by no means better than the first movie, but Gladiator II still manages to be a worthy follow up and great on its own. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Wicked

3. The Wild Robot

4. Saturday Night

5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

6. Deadpool & Wolverine

7. Transformers One

8. A Quiet Place: Day One

9. Inside Out 2

10. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

11. The Fall Guy

12. MaXXXine

13. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

14. Gladiator II

15. Abigail

16. Monkey Man

17. Late Night with the Devil

18. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

19. Alien: Romulus

20. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

21. The Book of Clarence

22. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

23. Drive-Away Dolls

24. Joker: Folie à Deux

25. Kung Fu Panda 4

26. Lisa Frankenstein

27. Argylle

28. Venom: The Last Dance

29. Mean Girls 2024

Wicked

Adapting the first act of the much loved and acclaimed stage musical of the same name, Wicked tells the story of how Elphaba and Galinda would end up becoming The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are not only perfectly cast as Elphaba and Galinda, respectively, but also provide the movie's biggest strength through their chemistry. Their performances, as wells the rest of the cast, are phenomenal and give well choreographed and fun numbers. The movie is well put together thanks to director Jon M. Chu and how he stays true to the musical's story, best helped by the fact that Winnie Holzman, the co-creator of the original production, wrote the film's script with Dana Fox. All three provide such an incredible and detailed exploration of the Land of Oz while making their inhabitants larger than life and relatable. Its writing manages to handle whimsical magic, colorful settings, prejudice, government corruption, and secret surveillance really well. Stephen Schwartz, the other co-creator of the musical, and John Powell work together to transfer the songs to better fit their film adaptations as well as a beautiful and vibrant score that uses riffs from the songs themselves. The cinematography from Alice Brooks can often be criticized due to feeling overly lit and a bit pasty, but once the movie gets to Emerald City and the reveal of magic disappearing it does make sense why it had that look. Since Oz was loosing its magic it was represented by making the land look plain and normal, but once at Emerald City it was more colorful to represent how it was trying to present itself as magical despite not actually being. Even after over a century of various adaptations, Wicked proves that the Land of Oz will always have a special place in people's hearts. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Wicked

3. The Wild Robot

4. Saturday Night

5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

6. Deadpool & Wolverine

7. Transformers One

8. A Quiet Place: Day One

9. Inside Out 2

10. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

11. The Fall Guy

12. MaXXXine

13. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

14. Abigail

15. Monkey Man

16. Late Night with the Devil

17. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

18. Alien: Romulus

19. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

20. The Book of Clarence

21. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

22. Drive-Away Dolls

23. Joker: Folie à Deux

24. Kung Fu Panda 4

25. Lisa Frankenstein

26. Argylle

27. Venom: The Last Dance

28. Mean Girls 2024