Gladiator II: Lucius (Paul Mescal) loses a battle against the Romans in his North African home and is taken to the Roman port of Ostia, where he is tested for gladiator skills. He impresses Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who then enters him into matches in the Roman Colosseum to fight for his life in front of emperors and a bloodthirsty crowd of citizens.

Gladiator II is, first and foremost, an action movie with a touch of drama and minimal historical accuracy for flavor. Except for Washington, the acting is deficient in places, and the dialogue occasionally seems to exist merely as filler between action sequences. However, the visuals and action are spectacular.

Trivia: In Apuleius’s 2nd-century A.D. romance The Golden Ass, the Roman protagonist Lucius grapples with transformation and identity issues. Similarly, in Gladiator II, Lucius is forced to come to terms with his own new, albeit unwanted, identity. Both characters must navigate the consequences of fate to find their own path through the thicket of choices.

Genre: Action-Adventure-Drama-Epic-Historical

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Screenplay by: David Scarpa

Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams

Cast: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen

Film Location: Morocco, Malta, UK

ElsBob: 8.0/10

IMDb: 6.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 71%

Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter: 83%

Metacritic Metascore: 64%

Metacritic User Score: 5.3/10

Theaters: 22 November 2024 US

Runtime: 148 minutes

Budget: $210-250 million

Box Office: $320 million

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic. Graphic: Gladiator II Poster and Trailer, copyright Paramount Pictures-Scott Free Productions.