Gladiator II - Am I Not Entertained?
Russel Crowe in Gladiator
This one falls flat in many ways. However, I didn't hate it, as many commentators seem to have done. I enjoyed it for the spectacle of the thing. Some of the establishing shots of Rome are wonderful in the way few other directors can pull off. Ridley Scott still has an amazing eye, but his latest movies all feel rushed and lack the polish and incredible depth and detail of his earlier works.
The main problems with this (and many films nowadays) is the script. Ridley Scott and great actors can't salvage a bad script and make it appear great. It can look wonderful, but it still feels lacklustre as it doesn't connect on an emotional level and, in many cases, doesn't really hang together in any logical sense either. This one feels like it was written by committee (or AI!) and given the remit to write a sequel that ticked all the boxes of the Russell Crowe movie. It succeeds on a VERY superficial level, but is not a worthy successor.
Go and see Gladiator II for some good action scenes and a great sense of place (though not really any better than the first movie, or the HBO series, Rome). Don't go for the story.
Fun fact, when we were hoping to make The Serpent Sword as a TV show, I put forward Paul Mescal as an actor who could manage Beobrand's physicality and depth of character. Was I right? Ridley Scott clearly had the same idea.
Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal in Gladiator II
The main problems with this (and many films nowadays) is the script. Ridley Scott and great actors can't salvage a bad script and make it appear great. It can look wonderful, but it still feels lacklustre as it doesn't connect on an emotional level and, in many cases, doesn't really hang together in any logical sense either. This one feels like it was written by committee (or AI!) and given the remit to write a sequel that ticked all the boxes of the Russell Crowe movie. It succeeds on a VERY superficial level, but is not a worthy successor.
Go and see Gladiator II for some good action scenes and a great sense of place (though not really any better than the first movie, or the HBO series, Rome). Don't go for the story.
Fun fact, when we were hoping to make The Serpent Sword as a TV show, I put forward Paul Mescal as an actor who could manage Beobrand's physicality and depth of character. Was I right? Ridley Scott clearly had the same idea.