Gladiator II

For all its faults, Gladiator II is an extraordinary film, the kind that demands to be seen in theaters.

In a cast of veteran actors and extremely talented up-and-comers, Washington steals the movie. He takes the throne.

Fast, brutal and absorbing, the shocker opener sets the template for the rest of the movie, which plays — and often feels — like one long, inventively diverse, elaborately imaginative fight.

Paul Mescal just seems overwhelmed. At a lot of points, this film winds up feeling like an echo of the first film.

This movie belongs to Denzel Washington. It was campier than the first one, and consequently I liked it better.

It's Washington who ultimately makes "Gladiator II" stand apart from the first film and makes it a lot more fun than it has any right to be.

By the end, you’ll have to answer the question: Were you not entertained?

It’s curious how little of the story is new, compared with the former film. Gladiator-slave in Rome, fighting to stay alive but also to prove a point: that Rome just ain’t what it used to be.

A sequel to the 2000 hit focusing on two charismatic leaders who could determine the future of Rome.

Despite its shortcomings, Gladiator II delivers a full-bodied adventure that skillfully balances responsiveness to its audience’s expectations with a reverence for the epic grandeur of its predecessor.