New Delhi

Sequels of iconic films only make sense if there is a logical story to tell. But when a film has attained cult status and it's been over two decades since its release, how good an idea it is to make a part two? Filmmaker Ridley Scott brings a sequel of his hit Oscar-winning film Gladiator 24 years after it scripted history. In Gladiator 2, Scott connects the stories of the two films skillfully even though the main plot remains the same where the protagonist yearns to give back Rome and its people the power and peace that the state always deserved.

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Scott lines up an interesting star cast comprising of Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Connie Nielsen who returns as the older Lucilla after playing the Roman princess in the first film. Scott along with writers Peter Craig and David Scarpa weaves an intricate story that connects Maximus (Russell Crowe in the original) with Hono or Lucius (Mescal). 

The Plot Of Gladiator 2

Fans of the original would recall that the Gladiator ended with the death of Maximus after he killed the insecure, amoral Emperor Commodus. Gladiator 2 begins 16 years after the death of Maximus in the Colosseum and has Hono (later revealed to Lucius) coming to Rome as a prisoner of war. A man who has lost his wife in a battle with the Roman army, Lucius now wants to avenge her death and wants the Roman army general Marcus Acacius's (Pascal) head. He strikes a deal with Macrinus (Denzel Washington) to fight as a Gladiator in the arena so that Macrinus can earn money and a position in the senate. At the same time, Macrinus promises to bring him Acacius. 

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Acacius, the brave and kind general is sick of mayhem in Rome. 16 years after Maximus's death, Rome is now under the tyrannical rule of two eccentric, corrupt ruthless twins. The two brothers (played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger) pit warriors and soldiers against Gladiators at the Colosseum for their entertainment event as their kingdom and its people are crippled by diseases, hunger and poverty. Acacius is also now married to Lucilla and the two are planning a coup to overthrow the two kings and bring peace and order to Rome. 

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During one of the duels inside the Collosuem, Lucilla witnesses Lucius emulating actions that seem similar to Maximus. Turns out Lucius is Lucilla's son (played by Spencer Treat Clark in the first film) and Maximus' illegitimate child who has lived a life in exile for 15 years with no contact with Lucilla. When the mother-son reunites, the meeting is more angst-driven than emotional.

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With relationship dynamics changing does Lucius avenge his wife's death or does he forgive and help his mother rebuild Rome forms the rest of the story. 

The cast of Gladiator

While the main plot of both the stories remains the same, with Gladiators wanting to avenge the death of their near and dear and restore order in Rome, Mescal's Lucius is a more complex character than his father Maximus. At 28, Mescal may have seemed like an unlikely choice to play a beefed-up warrior of the Roman empire but the young star rises to the occasion, undergoes physical transformation gets a scruffy brooding voice to play the man riddled by the pain of the past. Mescal has his charm,and with his deep blue eyes, and occasional grins, gives Lucius a separate identity - far away from Maximus.

Crowe had delivered a lifetime performance in Gladiator and comparisons would be inevitable but Mescal gives his Lucius a different spin - making his character acceptable to the larger fan base. 

The film terribly underutilises a charming actor like Pedro Pascal who comes and goes as the grieved yet brave Roman general. I wish there were more scenes between him and Mescal as the two actors would have surely lit up the scenes. Connie Nielsen also delivers an earnest performance as the Princess who loved and lost too much in her life. 

The star of the film, however, is Denzel Washington who plays the power-hungry, sharp Macrinus brilliantly. Washington is a well-known name in Hollywood and always manages to shine in his films. Gladiator II is no different where he plays a mysterious man, a former slave and now owner and gambler of Gladiators. He strives for bigger dreams- one that includes complete control over Rome- and is quite flamboyant and theatrical in his ways. It's a delight to watch the veteran star bring alive such an colourful personality on screen. 

The melodrama

While the makers connect the two films well it still isn't the most coherent plot. Who would have known that Maximus, a devoted husband and father-  had an illegitimate child? He definitely didn't. Perhaps the legacy of the first film compelled Scott to connect Lucius to Maximus but when you think of it, the connection seems rather unnecessary. Lucius could very well be a valiant, brave soldier and blue blood even without him being Maximus's son. The revelation also is so underwhelming that leaves no impact. The two mad kings played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are also not a patch on Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus.In fact, both Quinn and Hechinger are camp in their portrayal of the mad men. Certain portions near the end, where the emperors slowly start losing control over the throne seem very overtly dramatized and again unnecessary. In one scene, Lucius rejects the love of his mother, in another he is ready to take on 20 warriors alone to save her. The transition is never shown, the realisation of Lucilla is also cut short and it is absurd how Lucius rises to the occasion in a matter of a scene. 

Many loved Gladiator for its scale and originality. 24 years down the line, there have been several similar stories made both for TV and the big screen. I do wish Gladiator II had given the revenge drama a slightly more unique spin than what they present because the actors are good, the scale is huge, and visually it's stunning with a great background score- but it's the tried and tested formulaic writing that wears the film down. 

Gladiator II released in theatres on November 15.