Gladiator II

24 years ago, Sir Ridley Scott blessed us with one of the most beautiful pieces of art in the history of cinema. After a long wait, Scott has again blessed us with a phenomenal sequel. "Gladiator II" follows Lucius who must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home in hopes of returning the glory of Rome to its people.

Firstly, I must praise Sir Ridley Scott for his direction. At 87 years old, this guy still operates at an insane level. Whether it be the story or the action sequences, Scott still displays his genius on the big screen and delivers on those big moments! Speaking of big moments, this film is littered with jaw-dropping and thrilling action sequences. They're brutal, epic, big, and most certainly entertaining! One of the best sequences in the film is the flooded Colosseum. Experiencing this on the big screen had my jaw on the floor! Secondly, I must discuss the story which is my main problem with this film. Unfortunately, It lacks some of the emotional depth and complexity of the first one and never reaches the heights of the first one. Don't get me wrong, there are still some emotional moments that hit, but they're very rare. Despite that, I still enjoyed what it had to offer!

Furthermore, I must discuss Mescal's performance. I found his performance to be mostly "fine" because it lacked a lot of things. On the bright side of things, what I really enjoyed was Denzel Washington's performance! This man was having the time of his life playing this character, and I was thoroughly entertained by his masterful performance! Praise should also go toward Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger, who also delivered some great performances. Finally, I must discuss the CGI. This film is filled with digital effects, and those effects were, unfortunately, rough and broke some of the immersion. The baboon sequence, in particular, was horrendous and quite ugly! Overall, and despite some imperfections, I still enjoyed this highly anticipated sequel.