Gladiator 2 Review: A Glorious Return

After over two decades, Gladiator has returned to the big screen with an electric sequel fitting the first film. Also returning to Rome is Lucius, who must fight in the Colosseum after the cruel twin emperors of Rome conquer his home. With never-ending rage and the empire’s future at stake, Lucius looks to the past to find the strength to return Rome to its people.

Check out our Gladiator 2 review below and remember spoilers ahead!

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Gladiator 2 Review – Breaking Down Plot, Setting, Characters

Plot

The movie instantly plunges viewers into a battle scene in the Northern African kingdom of Numidia as Roman battleships attack. We get the first glimpse of both Hanno (Lucius) and General Acacius and the brutal force employed to take over Numidia. Hanno is taken with others to Ostia, fighting a baboon and drawing the attention of Macrinus. Macrinus, Hanno, and other gladiators eventually make their way into Rome, which has been turned into a world of savagery and corruption, led by twin emperors Geta and Caracalla.

Returning to Rome victorious, General Acacius receives a set of games held in his honor, including battles led by Hanno. As the games continue, Lucilla realizes the true identity of Hanno as her son Lucius. Halting her plans of overthrowing the emperors, she instead begs Acacius to save her son from the games, leading to them both being outed by Macrinus to the emperors. Acacius is sentenced to fight Hanno in the ring but is killed by soldiers when Hanno realizes Acacius’s intentions and refuses to kill him.

Tensions continue to rise as Emperor Geta is “killed” by his brother, forced by Macrinus’s hand and leading to turmoil in the streets. The lone emperor, Caracalla’s addled mind names his pet monkey and Macrinus as his council, all while Lucius is beginning to realize his true purpose in Rome.

Accepting his past as Lucilla and Maximus’s son, Lucius stages an uprising during his mother’s execution but fails to save her from a fatal arrow shot by Macrinus. Emperor Caracalla is killed during the onslaught, while Macrinus flees towards the city walls, where Acacius’s army waits. Lucius catches up to him, culminating in one last fierce battle where Lucius prevails and sets the record straight for a new Rome. The film ends with Lucius returning to the arena and asking his father for strength, shifting to Maximus brushing his hand through the crops.

I loved the idea of Lucius coming back, not only to Rome but to the Colosseum, which holds so much history for him and his family. The battle scenes were great and looked super realistic, and though there was a lot of gruesome bloodshed, it set the stage for Rome on the brink of collapse. I would have loved to see a few more flashbacks with Lucius as he was on the run, but it was not crucial for the story to still be powerful.

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Setting

Viewers returned to several familiar settings during Gladiator 2 and some new places too. Of course, there is nothing quite like the Colosseum, and the atmosphere is nearly identical to the first film. With sweeping views of Rome, the people, and the impending games, the tension is palpable in both characters and viewers.

Other notable settings included Numidia, a Northern African kingdom overtaken by the Romans; Ostia, where Lucius was chosen as a promising gladiator by Macrinus; and outside of Rome, where General Acacius had several legions ready to overtake Rome from the twin emperors.

It is incredible how they can plunge viewers so viscerally into each scene, almost as if you, too, are a subject of Rome, ready to watch the latest gruesome bloodbath in the Colosseum. It would be interesting to see Lucius in other environments as he grew up on the run, but it could have muddied the plot. Other than that, I didn’t think there was another setting I wanted to see, as most of the action has to take place in the Colosseum.

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Characters

Finally, the characters. While no one can top Maximus in the first film, Lucius and others come close. Of course, the most impactful character is Lucius, coming back for vengeance against a city that wants to kill him. While not wanting to accept his birthright at the beginning, his transformation into a mirror image of Maxmus is incredible, especially when he dons his father’s armor.

One of my other favorite characters was General Acacius, who sacrificed it all for the ones he loved. He never wanted to be the ruthless general the emperors desired but went through with it to support his wife, Lucilla. While he was discovered trying to save Lucius and plotting to overthrow the emperors, he did so with grace and acceptance. Not once was he mad at Lucius; he gave himself up in the Colosseum, unwilling to harm his wife’s son.

On the flip side, I was in shock and awe with both the twin emperors and Macrinus. Each of them was twisted, looking for blood and violence to achieve their goals. Emperor Caracalla was afflicted by an unknown illness, impacting his mental state, while Emperor Geta was more level-headed but even crueler. Then there was Macrinus, wanting to use Lucius as his personal weapon to get him into the emperor’s chair, just so he could destroy it all.

Even with so many characters, the film was able to weave their ambitions and plot lines together into a cohesive film, that showed the best and the worst of the Roman Empire.

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Gladiator vs. Gladiator 2

It’s hard to compare the two films when both are so incredible. From the casting to the environment and the instrumentals, they both mirror each other’s greatness. If I were to lean a little one way, it would be towards the original Gladiator. Though the CGI and special effects are not as advanced as the 2024 film, the storyline is just too good. I will commend the second film, as it brings back so many memorable characters, finishing a story that happened over two decades prior.

Prominent Actors in Gladiator 2

While Gladiator 2 had only a few main stars, they all came from prominent film and TV series backgrounds. Check out these main actors, along with famous appearances in past productions.

• Paul Mescal (Lucius) – Normal People, All of Us Strangers, The Lost Daughter
• Denzel Washington (Macrinus) – The Equalizer, Man on Fire, American Gangster
• Pedro Pascal (General Acacius) – The Last of Us, Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian
• Joseph Quinn (Emperor Geta) – A Quiet Place: Day One, Stranger Things, Hoard
• Connie Nielsen (Lucilla) – Gladiator, Wonder Woman, The Devil’s Advocate
• Fred Hechinger (Emperor Caracalla) – Kraven the Hunter, The White Lotus, Thelma

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I think this was a perfect sequel to a film that has inspired generations. Gladiator 2 was a great return to the Colosseum, showing not only the impact of the first film’s ending but also the dream of a new beginning under Lucius, the rightful heir to the throne. Each character was diverse, weaving their storylines into a film that kept you glued to the screen for the full runtime of two and a half hours. If you haven’t had a chance, catch this film on the big screen.