Film: Gladiator II
Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, May Calamawy
Director: Ridley Scott
Rating: 3.5
Runtime: 148 min

This sequel to Ridley Scott’s landmark period spectacular is a great movie experience as a standalone. Written by David Scarpa (“Napoleon”) and directed by an 86-year-old Scott who continues to blend Machiavelli, pageantry, and visual grandeur in epic proportions, this is a movie experience that is still top-notch (even if it does not match up to the much-vaunted original).

Twenty-four years ago, the slash-and-burn hyperviolent “Gladiator” which blended in Cecil De Mille’s epic proportions with intensely engaging philosophies of warfare and romance while incorporating novel VFX was a near hypnotic experience and continues to be revered by most who have experienced it. “Gladiator II,” may not become as well-loved but it is a wonderful experience nevertheless.