Gladiator 2: Ridley Scott delivers a fun, degenerate blockbuster

Bloody and muscular return to the Colosseum

At 86, Ridley Scott has no intention of retiring and goes on tour with unchanged energy. After the anecdotal Gucci House and failure Napoleonthe maximum fun of Hollywood itself gives a sequel to one of its successes for the first time, and no less important: Gladiator. Without a doubt we should have left this monument of 2000s American cinema alone, and not followed up on it for this reason: moviehis great qualities had transformed him into moviedelighting audiences and professionals until winning five Oscars in 2001.

But Ridley Scott, in his mad rush to do itfunis less interested in building a cinematic legacy than in staging the “fun“and the”crazy” which he states in every interview, like a child who every day starts the same battle in his sandbox. So, let’s believe his word: where we entertained ourselves Gladiator 2 ?

A high-speed blockbuster

Gladiator 2 it’s great entertainment, successful in many ways, because it knows its strengths. Muscles, blood and ultra-spectacular brawls galore. We then follow Lucius (Paul Mescal), taken from Rome by his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) almost 20 years ago, and who becomes a citizen and soldier in an African city. When the legions of General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) besiege his city, his wife is killed and he is taken prisoner.

Spotted by a powerful arms dealer, Macrinus, also owner of a stable of gladiators and who dreams of becoming emperor, will immediately become the leading fighter of the Colosseum, naturally doubling in ferocity and brutality. Used by Macrinus (Denzel Washington) to accelerate his conspiracy, Lucius will take on his revenge and his destiny – he is the son and successor of Maximus, the Roman man and legend – and will attempt to rehabilitate the former.”dream of Rome“.

Explosive landing sequence, fighting bloodthirsty baboons and a war rhinoColosseum transformed into a swimming pool infested with sharks… Very enjoyable, but with greater energy and without fat – unfortunately without the “good” fat of the first film, with its epic scope and heroism – you go from a butcher’s to the other so quickly that it’s hard to know how long the entire story takes place. And of this story it is Lucio who is the only conductor and its metronome.

Paul Mescal in the big (blood) bath

Bloodied and with eyes of a mythological blue, Paul Mescal acquits himself wonderfully and succeeds in his transition from male muse of independent cinema to muse of independent cinema successful star. Physically, he exudes an almost silent bestiality and a strength that would be given reluctantly. This paradox gives him an undeniable charisma in killing his enemies, but his feelings are unclear and his motivations seem to be based on sand.

Is his revenge well directed, given that his wife was killed in battle by an anonymous arrow? To remember, from which Massimo’s necessary revenge was born the murder of his wife and son on the part of the praetorian guard, ordered by Commodus, a much more monstrous violence than that suffered by Lucius. Does he blame his mother for pushing him away? Do you have an idea, a “dream” of Rome like your father, a Roman general and close to the emperor Marcus Aurelius whose ideology you considered?

There is a certain vagueness inside Gladiator 2made of an overabundance of intrigues that short-circuit each other. Restore the “greatness” of Rome or avenge his beloved for Lucius? Is General Acacius, the convincing Pedro Pascal who ultimately seems to be the character closest to Maximus’ model, working to save Rome or for the love of Lucilla? Co-emperors Geta and Caracalla, mindless avatar – to excess – of Commodus, they really have a lot of it function in the story besides acting crazy?

Denzel Washington as Imperial Eagle…

Since all of these characters, including Lucius, suffer from a flaw in writing and characterization, the one who takes all the spotlight is obviously Denzel Washington. The actor, one of the best of his generation, offers a prestigious performanceall the more remarkable as it is only in appearance. No one can walk, laugh, throw jokes and be transfixed by his mere presence as well as he does. Of course, he was once Ridley Scott’s gangster American gangster. But inside Gladiator 2AND the corrupt and Machiavellian policeman From Training day that we find, the hateful and terribly attractive Alonzo Harris, a role for which he won the Oscar for best actor in 2002.

…over the pigeons

Far above the fray, he is the one who best embodies Ridley Scott’s business: “fun”, “fun” and more “fun”. And it’s a shame for the historical aberrations: his character really existed, but his life is partly reinvented to fit into the pure fiction of Lucio’s. The same goes for the fratricidal brother emperors Caracalla and Geta, whose true story is truly spectacular, and who we find there twisted and overshadowed. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, despite their very voluntary performances and in tune with the energy of the film, then appear superfluous in a story of which they nevertheless occupy the center.

Have fun without getting carried away

Asked about Martin Scorsese’s cinema, Jacques Audiard estimates in a Konbini video that, in his opinion, the author of Raging bull and of The Freedmen He’s been “making” movies ever since Casino. A way of saying that something had been lost, and this is perhaps what happened to Ridley Scott too who, later Black Hawk Down and with the exception of some films (American gangster, Robin Hood, Alone on Mars, The last duel), examine the results we believe are Candies make them more than him I want do them.

Contrary to Top Gun: nonconformistthat 36 years later Top Gun made the choice to serious modernize a universe funRidley Scott does in a immaturity hired while Gladiator it was built on extreme gravity. So, certainly, Gladiator 2 it is epic in its fights, but often ridiculous in its dialogues, counterfeit in its representation of Rome, and little helped by less efficient digital effects than those of the first film, released 24 years ago…

The young Lucius is therefore not the experienced Massimo and his course in this new film Gladiator it may be just as funny, but it’s far less tragic and empathetic, despite its mythological dream sequences, which seem included to give Lucius’ story the breadth and grandeur it lacks.

Gladiator 2 by Ridley Scott, in theaters from November 13, 2024. Above is the trailer.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.