Kritiken

Arguably, the wellspring of Gladiator II’s problems is the script by David Scarpa. After his muddleheaded attempts to find the comedy of autocracy for Scott in Napoleon, here he tries and fails to create palace intrigue. Every twist and turn is signaled far ahead, so there’s no sense of mystery.

The plot, packed with so many shadowy conspiracies and cunning characters, is far less straightforward than the one in Gladiator, to its detriment. But amid the bloat, Scott homes in on how the cycle of ambition and retribution can be hard to break... In Scott’s hands, ancient Rome has never been more ruthless—or more exhilarating to watch.

Washington is having so much fun playing this blatant opportunist, and Mescal makes for such a compelling opponent, that you might forgive the movie for running out of steam before the final act. Scott has outdone himself trying to up the ante in terms of displaying outrageous, thumbs-up spectacles... and tacked on so many endings that there’s a slight sense of exhaustion by the time we get to the final-boss battle.

Even if Gladiator II is essentially an unapologetic retread of its predecessor, all of these actors are fun to watch—though none stands taller, literally or figuratively, than Denzel Washington... Gladiator II is OK when Denzel’s off-screen, but sensational when he’s on it.

It is the same movie, slightly tweaked and constantly referencing and reminding you of the original, delivering what you already loved about “Gladiator”... [Yet] there is simply too much plot to truly care about these characters... What “Gladiator II” is lacking from its forebear is sophisticated storytelling, deep character work and nuanced messaging.

There are bad movies that are entertaining and bad movies that are a drag, and I wish I could tell you which one this unasked-for sequel to the best-picture-winning 2000 film is. The truth is, it’s both... The new film has all the opulence of the first film but none of the majesty. It’s an epic without a purpose and therefore fine for a lazy Sunday streaming in a few months.

[Denzel Washington's] is a performance of charismatic evil and of mesmerizing stardom both... Like Scott’s filmmaking in this pleasurably immersive spectacle... [the actor's] performance has skill, intensity and absolute confidence.

Mr. Scott seems content to restage story beats and action scenes from the first film. Most cold-case sequels aren’t very good, and maybe there’s a reason for that... A filmmaker of Mr. Scott’s stature doesn’t have to do retreads, and shouldn’t.

We are not not entertained... Scott and his collaborators pander so unabashedly to our bloodlust that it rings all the more hollow when "Gladiator II" suddenly fancies itself a civic lesson.

[Gladiator II] sadly comes off as less a reinvention of the original than a curiously literal retread of its plot beats, characters, and themes... We’ve seen much of this before, sometimes quite literally, as scenes from the original movie are revisited in recurring soft-focus flashbacks.

[Gladiator II] is equal parts compelling, ridiculous and uproariously pleasurable, often to the point where you can almost hear director Ridley Scott shouting, “Are you not entertained?” And, in truth, there are very few viewers who will not be.

Yes, we are entertained, how could we not be? But, sharks and rhino aside, fresh ideas are conspicuously missing. This sequel is so derivative of its predecessor, it’s practically a remake.