Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator II' is the ideal blockbuster movie

review

Ever since Gladiator won five Oscars, director Ridley Scott has been planning to continue his great resistance saga. Now she's finally here.

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do you remember? How big was the scale when the gladiator (played by Russell Crowe) saved Rome by killing Roman Emperor Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) in the middle of the Colosseum 24 years ago? Commodus loved violence and corruption, and he used cruel entertainment (“entertainment” is a popular term in Gladiator) as a guise to distract people: in the Colosseum, they could experience things they couldn't get in everyday life catharsis. , their rage can be channeled, choosing his heroes, demanding the death penalty, and even playing a bit of a ruler role. (Not) Bread and games are strategies. Outside, Rome – as so often happens in Hollywood – is sinking.

Gladiator is a film of incredible power and fury, both then and today. A call for resistance. Director Ridley Scott, a specialist in futuristic dystopias such as “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” has effortlessly crafted this in the tradition of “Vardis” and “Ben-Hur.” A much-mocked old “sandal movie.” Or a modernized “Ten Commandments.” The result was movies like “Troy” or “300.”

In fact, Scott's gladiator was not really a gladiator at the time, he was more like a happy farmer named Maximus, who had become a general and was favored by the wise old emperor Machu. Aurelius welcomed him and was severely punished by his son Commodus. The rage the gladiator needed against the horrific human and animal figures in the arena was fueled by the brutal murder of his wife and children. Only when his family, his utopian mini-state, is destroyed does he become a fighting machine.

“Gladiator 2” now begins with happy farming: grains of grain flow through the hands of Hanno (Paul Mescal), a sensitive, loving, brotherly mountain of muscles, but of course he doesn't His name is Hanno, and he knows where he is. Where he came from and where he was going, he had to: to Rome. But Hanno still lived in Africa, and Rome was an enemy and was currently attacking Hanno's settlements.

After a successful battle, General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) is awarded a laurel wreath by Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn, “Stranger Things'” Eddie Munson).Image: trapezoid

The Romans are led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who actually no longer wants to be a general but instead wants to overthrow the two reigning brother emperors Carcala and Getta (who actually existed – Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus as well) The syphilitic Carkara murders the wiser Geta behind the scenes in the film, just as the Romans did). In Hanno and Acacius, the seeds of rebellion were emerging.

But first Hanno's wife must die in battle with the Romans, first he must dream of her entering the realm of the dead, and first he must be captured by Macrinus (Denzel Washington) and trained as a gladiator. This is exactly what we learn from Gladiator. What might this narrative parallel mean? not applicable? Oh, yes, Hanno's real name is Lucius. Lucius? Isn't this the boy in the first movie who is destined to become the heir to the throne? The father is Commodus' sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen is back) and a man or two? Now Lucilla was the wife of Acacius.

The rose petals in Lucilla's (Connie Nielsen) hair don't mean anything good.Image: trapezoid

Lucius was now in his twenties and a royal nobleman, wearing gladiator armor, he would also have preferred to be a farmer (you always have to think about King Charles and his agricultural aspirations), but Rome had to eventually move on from The empire transformed into a republic.

“Gladiators” is like the first few particularly well-written episodes of “Game of Thrones”: there's intrigue, incestuous lust and lots of bloody battles, a close relationship between the furry Germanic tribes of the north and the noble Nubians of the south. The brotherhood of a beautiful and intelligent princess, the decadence of the court, the cold-blooded murder of popular figures and the plight of the people. Gladiator II flows seamlessly from this, maybe the story is a little simpler now (you already knew that), but the battle in the Colosseum is more complex, and a thrilling naval battle with real ships and sharks should be here mentioned.

Fred Hechinger (“The White Lotus”) gives a great performance as the mad Emperor Caracalla.Picture: www.imago-images.de

Yet another epic, often harrowing, adrenaline-filled, visually powerfully entertaining and overwhelming film, just days before what would have been Ridley Scott's 87th birthday Easily ranks among the top blockbusters worth watching. It's a goal he famously failed to achieve in recent years with Napoleon and The Last Duel, let alone Alien: Romulus. Only the “House of Gucci” can restore some of its former glory.

However, the greatest triumph in Gladiator 2 belongs to a man who fights neither in the ring nor behind the camera: Denzel Washington, as a Machiavellian gladiator-maker capable of deceiving and manipulating everyone, is A great master villain. He does this with charming grace and pure enjoyment of his cunning character. Paul Mescal plays his role with confidence and physicality, but there's something lost about him. Just like Russell Crowe once did against Joaquin Phoenix.

He's the Best: Denzel Washington as the power-hungry gladiator-maker Macrinus.Image: trapezoid

It again deals with a lot of “strength and honor”, even more than the first part, with the question of how many people actually had to die, how much blood had to be shed, how much sacrifice and collective effort and fundamental distrust it takes to overthrow an unjust regime all forms of power required. Ridley Scott's answer is that it's all too much and justice is only possible if we work together. This is certainly not a new discovery. But not bad either.

“Gladiator II” will be released in cinemas from November 14th.