The whole retcon with Lucius now being the son of Maximus CHEAPENS Maximus' arc as an honorable man. Yes, he had something with Lucilla in the past but that was iirc before she and he got married to other people, and when they reconnected after years he marvelled at how both of their sons were around the same age. To overcome the loss of his wife and son, and to show this kindness to the son of his old female friend just makes him even greater of a character. You do not NEED to be blood-related to a person to impress such kindness, admirability and drive for strength and honor onto them. This retcon literally bothered me throughout the movie.
@@jadwiga220 spot on. Yes, we know its 'just a movie' but the first Gladiator, and all the actors that worked in it, did not deserve this level of character despoilation. Gladiator II is a travesty, a mere cynical cash grab of a film, which peverts every value it once espoused. Ridley should be ashamed (but we all know he is beyond it).
I was an extra in the scene where Denzel's Macrinus speaks in the Senate about taking power (I'm standing behind him). Emperor Caracalla had a longer speech that revelaed more about his motivations and backstory. I guess an extended might contain all the removed footage and there will be new reviews. Grateful to have been part of G2 🙂
Like with Napoleon it does feel like a longer cut of the film might fix some issues but ultimately some of the directions and character choices made here are not great at all! Regardless, it’s really cool that you were an extra on the film and from a technical standpoint it does succeed in many areas so it must have been a great experience being a part of that production! As I’m London based I actually considered becoming an extra a few years ago and may still go down that path one day if the opportunity is there! Anyway, I wish you all the best in any future projects!
@Willakimbo_ Thanks, man. I might be able to help if you want to get into any extra work but it would be good to talk film and other upcoming stuff since you're based in London. Lemme know if you can be reached on socials.
You hit the nail on the head - RS seems to have been going down a path of quantity over quality, particularly wrt. details and quality outside the visuals.
in the first movie, how and why the Emperor came to the throne is key to understanding his tragedy and downfall. But in the second movie there is zero explanation of how and why these two guys got to be Emperors which is sort of what Rome is all about. The second movie also has very unconvincing plot points, notably has Lucilla parting with Lucius out of the blue. But good review, too much nostalgia at the expense of its own story.
Denzel was wrongly casted. This was not his movie. In a backdrop of US / NY he is the man. He tried to bring his gangster in a Roman backdrop was an absolute fail.
Yeah that’s a fair point! Considering all the other issues I was happy to see Denzel going free roam but yeah they definitely could’ve gone in a better direction considering the setting and time period!
Completely 100% agree with you! The thing is, Paul is a great actor. They WASTED him by moulding Lucius into Maximus 2.0 instead of his own character with his own traits, motivations, etc. I gave it 2.5 on letterboxd because I was pissed.
I need to check out some of Paul Mescal’s other work as this was my first time seeing him! I also gave the film that star rating on Letterboxd so we agree on that as well! Thanks for watching!
And how the Namibian got trebuchet to defend Roman naval invasion, that is a question need to be addressed by archaeologists and find further evidences to support it
Seen it too. There were absolutely no trebuchets in Roman times. I don't get it why this big historic mistake was allowed. Romans only knew of catapults and they mastered it. But trebuchets., never in their time.
@@racineurr.8924 yes exactly and I also reviewed gladiator 1 and found no trebuchet in that movie, so those are mistakes made by Hollywood industry recent years I don’t know if it’s some problem occurred in their quality control department or it is because the audience and actors have no longer treated history seriously because of their mentality
Thanks for this mate I couldn’t agree with you more. I left the cinema feeling totally flat and was genuinely looking at my watch waiting to get out of there. Didn’t care about any of the characters, and I fact I found Lucius to be quite tedious and unlikable.
to present Lucius as tedious and unlikeable shows the incompetence of the director to make use of a most talented actor like Paul Mescal. On the other hand one must admit that P.M. most likely is not the type who is convincing as an action hero - which can be taken as a compliment rather than criticism. I suppose one cannot seriously blame a young actor for accepting the lead in a Hollywood spectacle that costs god knows how many millions and thus automatically attracts worldwide attention. I just hope he won’t allow them to typecast him in that genre….
@@mikumog Yeah it was so flat, I would like to see Paul Mescal given another chance as a lead actor because Lucius was so badly written and I’m not surprised you felt that way towards him. I appreciate the comment :)
LUCIUS BEING MAXIMUS' SON...IN THE FIRST MOVIE LUCILLA AND MAX SHARE THAT THEIR KIDS ARE NEARLY 8 YEARS OLD RESPECTIVELY. THAT MEANS THAT BOTH WOMEN WERE PREGNANT ROUGHLY AROUND THE SAME TIME. THAT WOULD MEAN MAX WAS CHEATING ON HIS WIFE OR CHEATING ON LUCILLA. FURTHERMORE, THE FIRST MOVIE LETS US KNOW THEY KNEW EACH OTHER AS TEENS OR KIDS AND HAD STOPPED SEEING EACH OTHER SINCE THOSE DAYS. IF LUCILLA HAD GOTTEN PREGNANT IN HER TEENS THE KID WOULD BE MUCH OLDER THAN MAXIMUS CHILD.
The movie isn’t cinematic enough, it lacks cinematic elements like build up , surprise, suspense and many other things, the script doesn’t gives any sense of longing or power to the main character, and the character doesn’t even have any weaknesses,
This movie was horrible. Huge fan of the first which is a masterpiece but this had a weak story, terribly miscast actors and just zero connection with any of the characters.. plus it was genuinely boring 🥱
I went to see this movie last Friday and was very dissapointed. I did not expect anything on the level of the first Gladiator going in but at least expected to be emotionally invested in some way which this film failed to do with me. I cared nothing for the main character or his 20 seconds on screen wife. Ridley needs to pack it in, his best days are long behind him I think.
i saw it last night. the whole lucius plot line was pretty weak and really does a disservice to Maximus' legacy. Also, the CGI animals and occasional slips of denzel's NY accent really took me out of the movie. there were some decent action scenes but the story overall was kind of weak. also, th etimeline is kind of off for me. I feel like gladiator 1 took place over months. meanwhile this one takes place over a week or so? it felt really forced.
@@rocoe9019 I agree- it is a pathetic product. And anyone that blindly consumes these products deserves the junk you're getting. don't ask questions, just excited for next product! Enjoy those boots.
Gladiator II is UTTERLY TERRIBLE. It's just awful; I am genuinely struggling to think about anything good about it - aside perhaps from Washington's performance. But even that is with a poorly developed character, poor script, and crap, disjointed scenes. Terrible, terrible, terrible.
The emotional impact just isn't there. The death of Maximus' kid and wife for example had a lot of impact because you got to know the character of Crowe well before a lot of bad shit started to happen. Part 2 right away starts with a lot of shit and is almost screaming: you NEED to feel something right now. It doesn't work that way. And the movie is heavily relying on the first movie as well with all the links: flashbacks, old characters coming back etc. It doesn't stand on its own enough.
@@Mirage238 the movie was really bad. Even outside of it being less historically authentic then Lord of The Rings, its poorly written and a cheap retelling of the same story with the same props
Paul Mesca as Lucius didn't do it for me. Denzel Washington, although great screen presence as always, didn't fit, a total miscast. Tim McInnerny as Senator Thraex - another miscast. The rest of the ensemble - unimpressive. But great cinematography and effects but I'm afraid no Oscars for acting, much of it weak including the plot. Gladiator with Rusell Crowe was a much better movie, Gladiator 2 - Mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
He’s getting desperate to make 1 or 2 classics before he bows out by throwing the kitchen sink at all these projects with absolutely no care! Either that or he just fancies a new Aston Martin or something!
The soundtrack was a massive let down. I knew Hans wasn't on this film and you could tell. Such a vapid empty soundtrack until the few moments where the old soundtrack was used and at that point, I'd rather just watch the 1st one as at least there would be a good movie to go along with it.
Lucius is not Maximus' son, dude - He's not related to him in any way. Lucius is Commudus' nephew, and the son of Lucilla (Commudus 'sister). Lucius was heir to the throne after Commudus' death - had Rome not returned to a republic; which was suggested to have happened after Maximus' death in the original film.
Fair review man. I'm working on my own review at the moment, for me personally I actually really enjoyed this follow-up to gladiator, but TBF I can understand where you are coming from with it. Do stay tuned for my review, which I'd say won't be out too much longer from now!
@@richardscanlan3419 While I don’t agree Gladiator was shite, I do think it has more flaws than people remember and the big moments of the film carry it
@@noneofyourbuisiness7581 You don’t need to have played the game to analyse it! Not that it matters but I’ve started writing a screenplay and have a reverent degree in filmmaking. If you disagree with my points then by all means offer a counter-argument!
The acting and the action wasn't bad but the story was thrown in undeveloped and the ending embarrassing not to mention the irritation to history buffs. 4.5/10 The 5 hour directors cut might be better if it exists
The whole retcon with Lucius now being the son of Maximus CHEAPENS Maximus' arc as an honorable man. Yes, he had something with Lucilla in the past but that was iirc before she and he got married to other people, and when they reconnected after years he marvelled at how both of their sons were around the same age. To overcome the loss of his wife and son, and to show this kindness to the son of his old female friend just makes him even greater of a character. You do not NEED to be blood-related to a person to impress such kindness, admirability and drive for strength and honor onto them. This retcon literally bothered me throughout the movie.
@@jadwiga220 spot on. Yes, we know its 'just a movie' but the first Gladiator, and all the actors that worked in it, did not deserve this level of character despoilation. Gladiator II is a travesty, a mere cynical cash grab of a film, which peverts every value it once espoused. Ridley should be ashamed (but we all know he is beyond it).
This was my first thought too! They destroyed his honor with it
@@jadwiga220 Lucious was heavily implied to be his son in the first movie and Lucille may had lied about his age so he wouldn’t know.
Get a life!
I was an extra in the scene where Denzel's Macrinus speaks in the Senate about taking power (I'm standing behind him). Emperor Caracalla had a longer speech that revelaed more about his motivations and backstory. I guess an extended might contain all the removed footage and there will be new reviews. Grateful to have been part of G2 🙂
Like with Napoleon it does feel like a longer cut of the film might fix some issues but ultimately some of the directions and character choices made here are not great at all! Regardless, it’s really cool that you were an extra on the film and from a technical standpoint it does succeed in many areas so it must have been a great experience being a part of that production! As I’m London based I actually considered becoming an extra a few years ago and may still go down that path one day if the opportunity is there! Anyway, I wish you all the best in any future projects!
@Willakimbo_ Thanks, man. I might be able to help if you want to get into any extra work but it would be good to talk film and other upcoming stuff since you're based in London. Lemme know if you can be reached on socials.
Oh yeah sure! In terms of socials I’m on Instagram with the same name and discord
I was in that scene too!
@@westerling8436 Great! Which side of the senate were you on? Be good to hear more about your film work so lemme know if we can connect on socials.
You hit the nail on the head - RS seems to have been going down a path of quantity over quality, particularly wrt. details and quality outside the visuals.
in the first movie, how and why the Emperor came to the throne is key to understanding his tragedy and downfall. But in the second movie there is zero explanation of how and why these two guys got to be Emperors which is sort of what Rome is all about. The second movie also has very unconvincing plot points, notably has Lucilla parting with Lucius out of the blue. But good review, too much nostalgia at the expense of its own story.
Thank you, yeah that’s a very good point! A lot of this film just assumes you’ll go along with it and be wide-eyed at the action scenes!
Get a life
Denzel was wrongly casted. This was not his movie. In a backdrop of US / NY he is the man. He tried to bring his gangster in a Roman backdrop was an absolute fail.
The DEI agenda was more important than authenticity
Yeah that’s a fair point! Considering all the other issues I was happy to see Denzel going free roam but yeah they definitely could’ve gone in a better direction considering the setting and time period!
his accent slipped through a few times. and it really took me out of the movie.
He ruined the movie
@@Actually_Woke_6277loser
Yes totally agree with your analysis. For me the best sequels ever are T2 and Aliens, both I shall add, by the same masterful director
Absolutely, two great picks there!
Completely 100% agree with you! The thing is, Paul is a great actor. They WASTED him by moulding Lucius into Maximus 2.0 instead of his own character with his own traits, motivations, etc. I gave it 2.5 on letterboxd because I was pissed.
I need to check out some of Paul Mescal’s other work as this was my first time seeing him! I also gave the film that star rating on Letterboxd so we agree on that as well! Thanks for watching!
Get a life
And how the Namibian got trebuchet to defend Roman naval invasion, that is a question need to be addressed by archaeologists and find further evidences to support it
Seen it too. There were absolutely no trebuchets in Roman times. I don't get it why this big historic mistake was allowed. Romans only knew of catapults and they mastered it. But trebuchets., never in their time.
@@racineurr.8924 yes exactly and I also reviewed gladiator 1 and found no trebuchet in that movie, so those are mistakes made by Hollywood industry recent years I don’t know if it’s some problem occurred in their quality control department or it is because the audience and actors have no longer treated history seriously because of their mentality
3:01 you gotta be fucking kidding
Thanks for this mate I couldn’t agree with you more. I left the cinema feeling totally flat and was genuinely looking at my watch waiting to get out of there. Didn’t care about any of the characters, and I fact I found Lucius to be quite tedious and unlikable.
to present Lucius as tedious and unlikeable shows the incompetence of the director to make use of a most talented actor like Paul Mescal. On the other hand one must admit that P.M. most likely is not the type who is convincing as an action hero - which can be taken as a compliment rather than criticism. I suppose one cannot seriously blame a young actor for accepting the lead in a Hollywood spectacle that costs god knows how many millions and thus automatically attracts worldwide attention. I just hope he won’t allow them to typecast him in that genre….
@@mikumog Yeah it was so flat, I would like to see Paul Mescal given another chance as a lead actor because Lucius was so badly written and I’m not surprised you felt that way towards him. I appreciate the comment :)
Get a life
Terminator 2
Great choice!
LUCIUS BEING MAXIMUS' SON...IN THE FIRST MOVIE LUCILLA AND MAX SHARE THAT THEIR KIDS ARE NEARLY 8 YEARS OLD RESPECTIVELY. THAT MEANS THAT BOTH WOMEN WERE PREGNANT ROUGHLY AROUND THE SAME TIME. THAT WOULD MEAN MAX WAS CHEATING ON HIS WIFE OR CHEATING ON LUCILLA. FURTHERMORE, THE FIRST MOVIE LETS US KNOW THEY KNEW EACH OTHER AS TEENS OR KIDS AND HAD STOPPED SEEING EACH OTHER SINCE THOSE DAYS. IF LUCILLA HAD GOTTEN PREGNANT IN HER TEENS THE KID WOULD BE MUCH OLDER THAN MAXIMUS CHILD.
Yeah the timeline is a bit of a mess!
The movie isn’t cinematic enough, it lacks cinematic elements like build up , surprise, suspense and many other things, the script doesn’t gives any sense of longing or power to the main character, and the character doesn’t even have any weaknesses,
Absolutely agree, this script needed to be ripped up and completely rewritten!
Get a life
@@Willakimbo_ get a life
This movie was horrible. Huge fan of the first which is a masterpiece but this had a weak story, terribly miscast actors and just zero connection with any of the characters.. plus it was genuinely boring 🥱
@@tombeach2862 Yeah I couldn’t believe how knackered I felt watching a Gladiator movie!
@@tombeach2862 👍👍👍
Get a life
I went to see this movie last Friday and was very dissapointed. I did not expect anything on the level of the first Gladiator going in but at least expected to be emotionally invested in some way which this film failed to do with me. I cared nothing for the main character or his 20 seconds on screen wife. Ridley needs to pack it in, his best days are long behind him I think.
He wants to make a third film so goodness knows how that’ll end up!
@@Willakimbo_ Oh no. I hope not
@@Br1an37 It’ll all depend on that box office result!
Get a life
An honest review in an otherwise fairly dishonest bot-driven movie industry
Thanks for watching :)
Pathetic!
i saw it last night. the whole lucius plot line was pretty weak and really does a disservice to Maximus' legacy.
Also, the CGI animals and occasional slips of denzel's NY accent really took me out of the movie. there were some decent action scenes but the story overall was kind of weak.
also, th etimeline is kind of off for me. I feel like gladiator 1 took place over months. meanwhile this one takes place over a week or so? it felt really forced.
Yeah absolutely, it was an incredibly mishandled sequel that has even caused some damage to the original and the legacy it left behind
Get a life
@@Willakimbo_how pathetic! Boohoo did it ruin your childhood! Boohoo
Speaking of pathetic, imagine replying ‘get a life’ on a number of different comments without offering any counter-arguments!
@@rocoe9019 I agree- it is a pathetic product. And anyone that blindly consumes these products deserves the junk you're getting.
don't ask questions, just excited for next product! Enjoy those boots.
I watched it I loved it cant wait to watch it again. An epic...a Masterpiece.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
gladiator was one of very best
2.weak plot and unnecessary
3 one , please don't tarnish the legacy
MATT LUCAS is in this film?????????????? WTF???????????
😂😂 That’s the perfect reaction!
Totaly Agree with you, it did not add anything to the original movie imo.
Get a life
Gladiator II is UTTERLY TERRIBLE. It's just awful; I am genuinely struggling to think about anything good about it - aside perhaps from Washington's performance. But even that is with a poorly developed character, poor script, and crap, disjointed scenes. Terrible, terrible, terrible.
I don’t know how some people have given the film 8 or 9s out of 10!
Same here. I thought it was terrible.
@@Willakimbo_ It's not terrible but it's not great either
Get a life
@@Willakimbo_because they are not cry babies or pathetic obsessed fanboys who only personality trate is being a pathetic fanboy
The emotional impact just isn't there. The death of Maximus' kid and wife for example had a lot of impact because you got to know the character of Crowe well before a lot of bad shit started to happen.
Part 2 right away starts with a lot of shit and is almost screaming: you NEED to feel something right now. It doesn't work that way.
And the movie is heavily relying on the first movie as well with all the links: flashbacks, old characters coming back etc. It doesn't stand on its own enough.
@@SHVideografie Yeah exactly, it’s like it wants to take shortcuts to the ‘good’ bits!
Get a life
I really enjoyed this movie. I don't care about the real history
@@Mirage238 the movie was really bad. Even outside of it being less historically authentic then Lord of The Rings, its poorly written and a cheap retelling of the same story with the same props
Paul Mesca as Lucius didn't do it for me. Denzel Washington, although great screen presence as always, didn't fit, a total miscast. Tim McInnerny as Senator Thraex - another miscast. The rest of the ensemble - unimpressive. But great cinematography and effects but I'm afraid no Oscars for acting, much of it weak including the plot. Gladiator with Rusell Crowe was a much better movie, Gladiator 2 - Mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Yeah it’ll definitely get some technical nominations with Dune: Part 2 & Wicked probably being it’s biggest competitors
Totally original story. Paul Mescal destroys Russell Crowe.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one!
Paul Mescal can't act
Patchy is being very kind. GII was mediocre at best.
Unless I’m mistaken I don’t think I said patchy, I agree that it was mediocre and overall a disappointing sequel.
Ridley. These shit movies of late. Destroying his reputation. There's only one question - Why? Why make this shit?
He’s getting desperate to make 1 or 2 classics before he bows out by throwing the kitchen sink at all these projects with absolutely no care! Either that or he just fancies a new Aston Martin or something!
@ I'll buy the extra Astons excuse but if he wants to make more classics before he bows out this aint it haha
By far Aliens was the best sequel. The Gladiator sequel is so unnecessary
Aliens is a great pick! Yeah definitely, a silly decision driven by money!
Flat Movie, Poor story, poor character development, copy and paste story which just makes it redundant
The soundtrack was a massive let down. I knew Hans wasn't on this film and you could tell. Such a vapid empty soundtrack until the few moments where the old soundtrack was used and at that point, I'd rather just watch the 1st one as at least there would be a good movie to go along with it.
Yeah spot on!
Get a life
Its was a terrible B movie, evry1 phoned it in, what a waste of time, what a disgrace to movie making!!
I'm not surprised.
After all...
We're in the "Straight to Video" phase in terms of quality and quantity in late stage Hollywood.
Yeah it’s not great currently, quality films made from passion are a rarity
Get a life
Shrek 2
Great choice!
Lucius is not Maximus' son, dude - He's not related to him in any way. Lucius is Commudus' nephew, and the son of Lucilla (Commudus 'sister). Lucius was heir to the throne after Commudus' death - had Rome not returned to a republic; which was suggested to have happened after Maximus' death in the original film.
I’ll happily accept Gladiator 2 just being a nightmare and keeping with this!
@@Willakimbo_ - Groovy 😎
and there's going to be a third film confirmed by Ridley himself. The first film is a classic but this time round I was not entertained
@@rustyjames_shortfilms I dare to think what the third film will involve!
Fair review man. I'm working on my own review at the moment, for me personally I actually really enjoyed this follow-up to gladiator, but TBF I can understand where you are coming from with it. Do stay tuned for my review, which I'd say won't be out too much longer from now!
Thanks man, I’ve seen your review pop up so I’ll check it out shortly :)
"Sharks".........seriously???
Unfortunately so! No Jaws theme though!
I'm going to get roasted here,but I thought the original Gladiator was shite.So why would this be any different?
@@richardscanlan3419 While I don’t agree Gladiator was shite, I do think it has more flaws than people remember and the big moments of the film carry it
@@Willakimbo_ fair enough.We are all entitled to our own opinion.
@@richardscanlan3419 Absolutely!
Trash sequel. No emotions!
dude, it is so easy to do u tu
be... write a script, make a movie, and not try to come off as someone worth to be listened to... couch critic.
@@noneofyourbuisiness7581 You don’t need to have played the game to analyse it! Not that it matters but I’ve started writing a screenplay and have a reverent degree in filmmaking. If you disagree with my points then by all means offer a counter-argument!
The acting and the action wasn't bad but the story was thrown in undeveloped and the ending embarrassing not to mention the irritation to history buffs. 4.5/10
The 5 hour directors cut might be better if it exists
I more or less repeated what you said sorry not sorry. Godfather 2 obvious but Aliens is the best and Rocky 3 to be controversial last century.
Yeah I agree with that 4.5/10 rating! Aliens is so good, definitely need a rewatch of that soon!