MovieChat Forums > Gladiator II (2024) Discussion > Difficult to score, you want it to be be...

Difficult to score, you want it to be better than it is due to the first movie

posted 19 days ago by Tommy711 (144)
4 replies | jump to latest

TL;DR: It wasn't a terrible movie but it wasn't anything I'd say warrants more than a 5 or 6/10, and I tried to watch it whilst trying to completely forget the first movie but due to it being a direct sequel and Scott throwing in every call-back under the sun, it was really tough to ignore how good the first movie was and compare the two.

Long version:

Casting a fresh face as the lead actor is, imo, always a bad choice when making a sequel. I understand giving people chances but really considering how good the first one was, you really want to at least knock it out of the park with a well-known actor.

Also making a direct sequel is never a good idea, but having a spin-off movie is always the way to go so at least you get the marketing down but you're not having the audience directly comparing it to the first movie.

The plot moved a bit too fast, feels like Scott had to edit out a lot of a scenes due to the runtime. This similarly affected Napoleon, but Napoleon wasn't a direct sequel to a really good movie, so it was easier to rate it higher.

I thought the casting was okay (apart from the lead, he wasn't bad but they needed an established actor), I liked the two emperors, but they didn't get enough screen time to really flesh out their characters, and they weren't really 'evil' enough. I don't think that was the actors' fault, just more a poor script (hence maybe the runtime and Scott probably having to remove a lot of scenes of them, building up their character).

Denzel did a good job, I thought, I think just that the script around him wasn't strong enough, so he also felt the affects with his character and it felt rushed. Same with the General and (spoiler) Lucius' mother, members of the council etc. - all fine acting but that can only take a movie so far.

Similar to Alien: Romulus, there were maybe a few too many 'call-backs' to the first movie. It's fine to have them here and there, subtly, but when it's really obvious it's a bit eye-roll worthy.

I understand why they use CGI for animals nowadays, but they maybe need to wait longer to make them look ultra-realistic. I have a hard time suspending my disbelief with CGI.

The boat battle in the coliseum was.. interesting. I guess it was something new, I suppose, but maybe detracted from the seriousness somewhat.

The party fight scene was pretty good, one of the better parts of the movie, imo. Obviously a big budget so everything looked visually pleasing to the eye from an aesthetic point of view (apart from the CGI - wasn't bad but again I find it difficult to suspend my disbelief).

I'm going to give it a 6/10. I gave Gladiator (2000) a 10/10 just because it is one of my favourite movies of all time. This one had the budget, but just felt quite rushed, felt flat, and relying too much on the first movie doesn't instil much confidence as a viewer.

[–] AnthonySocksss (1201) 19 days ago

You’re being generous, this is a 3/10 at best.

[–] Tommy711 (144) 16 days ago

I can see that, only problem is I've rated some REALLY bad movies 3/10, so in my personal ratings system, it would be harsh to rate it a 3/10 as, imo, it's not as bad. It's definitely not a 'good' movie, it's very, very average. Maybe a 5/10 would be more accurate.

[–] Qixoni (101) 17 days ago

The tv show Those About to Die with a much smaller budget did a vastly superior naval battle in the Coliseum. This one here was so lame.

[–] howgamer (3971) 17 days ago

It needed a better story and characters. The villains had very little backstory other than they were bad guys. Why should we care to hate them other than that they were bad. How did they come to power and why was the senate loyal to them? Why would anyone care about Lucius, he was not a hero of Rome, nor were the legions loyal to him. He wasn't inspirational so it was hard to root for him other than he was now deemed to be Maximus' son. His mother, who says she would do anything for her son, only cries for her husband when they are dueling. The "twist" at the end wasn't much of a twist at all, Denzel being a former slave and looking to become emperor.

It was entertaining in that Denzel being Denzel is always fun to watch and the action is pretty good. The opening battle sequence was outstanding. The sets, costumes, and armor look great too. But, other than that, it's missing a lot. I couldn't agree more with the call backs to the first films famous lines. It happens too much, and I literally rolled my eyes haha. I also can't stand it when films show clips of the previous movie like the audience can't remember. Stop showing scenes from Gladiator 1, we've all seen it and remember it, it's such lazy and poor storytelling. I would say 5 or 6/10 is spot on.