Twenty-Four years ago, Ridley Scott delivered ‘Gladiator’, a film of such magnitude that it continues to resonate. It’s rightfully revered as a true modern classic that harkens back to the sword and sandal genre films of old, but executed at the highest level of action craft. Its stars delivered the screenplay’s iconic dialogue with perfection, and the movie perfectly utilized the talents of its cast, both established and rising. Now Scott is back with a sequel that struggles to find its footing or the reason for its existence.

‘Gladiator II’ tries valiantly to go back to the well, not just by luring back the original’s prolific director (still churning out epic productions every year in his 80s), but also by mirroring its narrative structure and doubling up on characters. This time it’s Paul Mescal in the soldier to slave to gladiator who captivates Rome role. Unlike Russel Crowe’s Maximus, Mescal’s character isn’t a righteous general. In this sequel, Maximus’s characterization is actually split between Mescal and Pedro Pascal’s conflicted General Acacius. Unfortunately even the combination of these extremely charismatic actors can’t sufficiently capture Crowe’s inspiration. Instead of Joaquin Phoenix’s petulant sadist Commodus, who audiences quickly came to love to hate, ‘Gladiator II’ features TWO petulant sadist emperors played with relish by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger.

The similarities continue as Mescal’s indentured fighter gets to the Coliseum where he is embroiled in battles designed to ratchet up the stakes. Yet these more elaborate set pieces can’t quite deliver the same excitement, and yes, the same amount of entertainment present in that first masterclass of violence. Instead of tigers, it’s rabid baboons and a champion riding a rhino. In this sequel they even flood the floor of the arena and recreate a naval battle, complete with sharks (?!) to scarf up those unlucky to fall into the water. As inspired as these setups are, the staging lacks adrenaline and the effects are too digitized to seem even remotely real. The entire movie comes across as rushed and a little half-baked, from its choppy editing to its bland, retread of a screenplay.

There’s a few people in ‘Gladiator II’ that appear to be having some fun though, most notably the great Denzel Washington. As Macrinus, he’s here to represent yet another callback character, the gladiator owner and trainer, the same type of role played by Oliver Reed in ‘Gladiator’. He uses his ample and quite welcome screen time to basically hijack the movie, bringing a Shakespearean flair to everything, whether scheming with the Roman bourgeoisie at decadent parties or manipulating the increasingly unhinged behavior of the mad emperor brothers. It’s these scenes and performances that hint at what might have been. The maniacal machinations of these men, which threaten to knock the film off the rails at times, could have been the driving force behind our new hero’s journey. Leaning into that odd clash might have made ‘Gladiator II’ an unwatchable mess, which it isn’t, but it might have been a more interesting movie . . .

Directed By: Ridley Scott

Written By: David Scarpa & Peter Craig

Rated: R

Running Time: 148 min.

* * (out of four stars) -OR- C