<Spoiler Alert> I caught Gladiator II and it was an interestingly edited film. It’s a looooong movie, over 2 hours but it certainly didn’t feel like it. There are no slow bits in the show. I think this was a conscious effort on the part of the director, producers and scriptwriters to actively keep the audiences sitting up in their seats, eyes open and brain hungry for what’s next. I think no scene is more than 2 mins long, even the ones with smart people talking. Could this be the result of social media-weary attention spans?
I wished the show was just that a little more contemplative though. For example, the time after Hanno’s wife dies seems very disconnected from how Hanno feels about her. He’s even smiling and joking with his fellow inmates on the way to Rome. Granted he’s focused on revenge, Hanno comes across as very detached from his inner torment. The only bit I feel he truly brought forth any emotional display was when he screamed at Lucilla to leave, quite literally a “get ouuuuuut!”. He wasn’t very distraught when she got struck in the heart either. Such a brooder.
Nonetheless, it’s a fun film. Love the giant Colloseum pool scene. It was amazingly epic, the floor of the stadium transformed from sandy beige to beachside Maldivian blue. But where did they keep the sharks though? I mean Rome is up to an hour by car to the sea so says Google, which means it would have taken the better part of a day to bring Jaws and friends to the arena 1800 years ago. In perpetual salty wetness no less. Also, there are some very quick scenes that’ll make you flinch in adrenaline spike - the sword throw from one of the twins to rile Acacius, the reveal of the Poet, Macrinus helping slice a head off, the arrow culling of Acacius’ henchmen (drop dead, pardon the pun, beautifully executed, also another pun). Loved that Pedro Pascal delivered his lines in what sounded like a Spanish man speaking English. Denzel might win Best Supporting Actor for this.
There are some cheesy bits which surprised me - the ending with Lucius trying to placate both sides of the military. He sounds like the humbled winner of a closely-called election attempting to mend broken bridges in a mildly tense stand-off. (Perhaps a certain orange-tinged actor politician should apply some of that.) Also an Indian doctor who meets his wife from London? Come on! What kind of Oxford-educated Union Jack colonial set up is that? Also the final bit with hands over the wheat fields is a bit much of a throwback I think.
Still a good show for the big screen! I suspect some newborns may be named Lucius, Verus, Aurelius, Marcus, Maximus, Meridius, Hanno, Ari (not Arishat well because of “shat”) and Lucilla in the next few months. Not Commodus because that sounds like toilet too much, and not Decimus because that’s too close to decimal. Maybe Ravi.
Unimportant script hole - Google says Rome annexed Numidia in 43BC and 25BC. So any mention of Christians in the film is wrong. Also Marcus Aurelius died in 180CE, and that doesn’t sync with the actual Roman African conquests aforementioned.
