'Gladiator II' Review: Fails To Win The Crowd - Tash on Telly

All About The Boys

There’s no surprise that this sequel has been filled with a high caliber of cast which gives us a reason to watch it, and mainly secures the films characters with high class performances. However, a film shouldn’t rely on the actors alone. Gladiator II despite having incredible sets and action scenes feels as though the story is being held up by the actors names and talent. Denzel Washington is high class as always and owned the arena. Pedro Pascal nails the action scenes and brings the crowds with his growing fan base. Joseph Quinn is a rising talent, captivating as a villain and you can’t take your eyes off him! And then there’s our lead…

What Paul Mescal Did Will Echo In Eternity

Paul Mescal nailed it. He was perfect for this movie. The action scenes were top quality, his performance was impeccable and his physical shape was outstanding. Perfect for the movie and great for us ladies! I can’t tell you how many times I got lost in his blue eyes…! You can tell Mescal gave everything into this role and I was certainly impressed. The movie might not be as good as I wanted it to be but Mescal delivered. Award winning? Nominations maybe. I can certainly see a bright future for Mescal and awards in the future. This movie will bring great things for him.

Rome Was Not Built In A Day

The visuals were outstanding. There’s no denying that. From the spectacle of Rome to the stage of the Colosseum. They used custom made sets for a lot of scenes. Yes, they built parts of Rome and half of the Colosseum. Amazing right! Having sets that you could physically see were real and not CGI really brought the movie to life. The there were parts that were CGI like the monkeys, sharks and tigers which were terrifying. A lot of time and detail went into making this movie so it would look beautiful on the big screen.

The Action Gets A Massive Thumbs Up

We weren’t let down by the action. There was a lot of it. Big battle sequences, Colosseum fights a plenty and one on one combat. It had it all. Lots of sword fights, hand to hand, archery and animal bites. Stunts were working over time. Again why they need an Oscars category! You can also see the actors getting involved too, Paul Mescal mostly which makes it feel more epic. I enjoyed every scene…except when they filled the Colosseum with water and had a boat battle. I thought that wasn’t as exciting and seemed a bit ridiculous.

Are You Entertained?…No, Not Really

The acting was outstanding, the sets were fabulous, the CGI was great, so why didn’t we like it? The story made Rome fall. I’ve be er heard so many audience groans, sighs of disappointment and laughs at commentary during a movie. I was one of them. It’s been 24 years since the last movie and it felt like not a lot of thought of effort went into this sequel. The story felt predictable, they went for the easiest story lines and almost a carbon copy of the original as the formula was nearby scene by scene the same. The only this you could enjoy was the visuals because you knew what was coming. Yes, there were some shocking bits but they were rare and I didn’t feel…entertained fully as I wanted.

Summary

Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed. It’s one of those movies where everything is in the trailer. I was going for something new and exciting but it’s the same tale with a bigger budget. Great cast, impressive sets and fantastic action scenes but the story was dead in water and filled with commentary which was seriously laughable. Another sequel was an award winning movie with no original ideas and relies on the original story formula, CGI and the ensemble to bring in the audiences and the cash.