Gladiator 2 Review

[Westside Steve]

Gladiator 2

Paramount

R. 108 min

I’m kind of liking this new outline I’ve stumbled across. I’ve done it a few times and it seems to work out well. First I tell you some of the things that you might think a movie was about; I tell you if you’re right or wrong and then get to the important part whether it sucks or not. One of the reasons is that the producers etcetera like to put out previews and trailers that give the wrong idea then you're disappointed when you get there.

GLADIATOR 2 is the sequel to gladiator by Ridley Scott which is considered across the board to be an excellent flick, and I agree. What you might be expecting is something like the son or grandson or nephew of the original gladiator, Russell Crowe, but it’s not. The protagonist here is Lucius (Paul Mescal) a Greek slave, with a righteous hatred of Rome, and turns out to be a descendant of Marcus Aurelius, Supposedly a champion of Roman equality and democracy. This means that as he rises through the ranks of gladiators he enjoys the power and the freedom that status brings but he hates his bosses. Ironic isn’t it? I know almost nothing of the history but I also know that I don’t trust Ridley Scott to stay accurate to actual events not a big deal this is a story not a lecture. The first part is easy enough to believe, the Romans and Greeks have been pains in each other's asses since the dawn of time. Similar to Muhammad Ali, Lucius combination of fighting prowess and political opinion has made him a very influential member of Roman society. According to the film there are a few factions at odds with each other. First the line of succession has to who the Roman Emperor should be. As you recall as monarchies relied upon keeping a bloodline oftentimes the incest involved caused birth defects and or retardation which is the case with the two brothers who are in line to be the next emperor of Rome. Plus they hate each other. Another group are the senators who are supposed to be looking out for the will of the people but as We Know lust for power oftentimes makes those decisions self-serving. Third is the assistant Caesar or vice Caesar or whatever they call them Macrimus (Denzel Washington) who appears to be sympathetic to the equality movement. There is Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Lucius’ mother who had a dalliance with the emperor years ago. In the words of Mel brooks, it's good to be king. The struggle among these various groups is the basis of the film more than the rise to power of one man. Very few directors handle battle and martial arts scenes as well as Scott and that takes up a good deal of the near two and a half hour run time. There are plenty of shifting allies and enemies among the characters so keep your eyes open. It's not particularly hard to follow but a trip to the bathroom could cost you a key element. I personally found the first 15 minutes or so a little too slow moving for my taste but, like a diesel engine that takes a long time to get rolling when it reaches full speed it's almost unstoppable.

A

WSS

 

 

[nickers]

On 12/7/2024 at 8:20 PM, Westside Steve said:

Gladiator 2

Paramount

R. 108 min

I’m kind of liking this new outline I’ve stumbled across. I’ve done it a few times and it seems to work out well. First I tell you some of the things that you might think a movie was about; I tell you if you’re right or wrong and then get to the important part whether it sucks or not. One of the reasons is that the producers etcetera like to put out previews and trailers that give the wrong idea then you're disappointed when you get there.

GLADIATOR 2 is the sequel to gladiator by Ridley Scott which is considered across the board to be an excellent flick, and I agree. What you might be expecting is something like the son or grandson or nephew of the original gladiator, Russell Crowe, but it’s not. The protagonist here is Lucius (Paul Mescal) a Greek slave, with a righteous hatred of Rome, and turns out to be a descendant of Marcus Aurelius, Supposedly a champion of Roman equality and democracy. This means that as he rises through the ranks of gladiators he enjoys the power and the freedom that status brings but he hates his bosses. Ironic isn’t it? I know almost nothing of the history but I also know that I don’t trust Ridley Scott to stay accurate to actual events not a big deal this is a story not a lecture. The first part is easy enough to believe, the Romans and Greeks have been pains in each other's asses since the dawn of time. Similar to Muhammad Ali, Lucius combination of fighting prowess and political opinion has made him a very influential member of Roman society. According to the film there are a few factions at odds with each other. First the line of succession has to who the Roman Emperor should be. As you recall as monarchies relied upon keeping a bloodline oftentimes the incest involved caused birth defects and or retardation which is the case with the two brothers who are in line to be the next emperor of Rome. Plus they hate each other. Another group are the senators who are supposed to be looking out for the will of the people but as We Know lust for power oftentimes makes those decisions self-serving. Third is the assistant Caesar or vice Caesar or whatever they call them Macrimus (Denzel Washington) who appears to be sympathetic to the equality movement. There is Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Lucius’ mother who had a dalliance with the emperor years ago. In the words of Mel brooks, it's good to be king. The struggle among these various groups is the basis of the film more than the rise to power of one man. Very few directors handle battle and martial arts scenes as well as Scott and that takes up a good deal of the near two and a half hour run time. There are plenty of shifting allies and enemies among the characters so keep your eyes open. It's not particularly hard to follow but a trip to the bathroom could cost you a key element. I personally found the first 15 minutes or so a little too slow moving for my taste but, like a diesel engine that takes a long time to get rolling when it reaches full speed it's almost unstoppable.

A

WSS

 

 

When you talk about slow moving... Two books come to mind.. First would be Cosmos by Carl Sagan.... It's Highly detailed like a Kurt Vonegut or John Steinbeck novel.. Second... Kurt Vonneguts "Galapogos" is the same deal.. Slow start but once it gets rolling.. You can't put it down... Looking forward to watching..

 

Side note: Finally got to see "Maestro"... Another slow movie... But wow!... I would've never thought Bradley Cooper had that kind of depth as and actor/director/Producer... It takes a lot of guts to play a Bi Sexual and make it look authentic...While this movie focused on his casual escapades and relationship with his actress wife... For me... I wish they would've focused a bit on what he did to bring Classical Music to the Masses... It's not just for the wealthy and Elite... He was champion of artistic expression and wasn't afraid to take on Challenging projects... I love his interpretation of Rachmaninoffs most popular scores.. He took out some of the slow broodiness in terms of time and made a well detailed interpretation with incredible harmonic voicings... While Bernstein was a bit off... I find him to be an incredible Musician and composer... One of the greats we lost too soon.

 

This is one of my fave records of all time..