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