“Gladiator 2” didn’t need to be made, but it’s much better than anything I had ever hoped for. However, to be fair, I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of the first film. My preferred method of watching “Gladiator” is to see the first 30 or so minutes and then skip to all the parts where people are being killed in the Colosseum. I could care less about the drama or if Maximus gets his revenge. I just wanted to see people get cut down with a gladius, get swiped at by tigers, and watch Joaquin Phoenix stick out his tongue as blood from someone’s throat gets spilled. I was very entertained.

So the only thing I really wanted from this film was some more cool battle scenes and there are indeed some very cool battle scenes. Ridley Scott is a master at executing large scale action sequences and his abilities are on full display here. Many fight scenes are also colored with the addition of animals such as wild baboons, a rhino, and some sharks. The blood-thirsty baboons were a bit too CGI for my taste, but my feelings about that fell out the window once Paul Mescal bites and screams at one of them. I was very entertained.

The most confusing part of this film for me was Paul Mescal’s character and how he suddenly becomes Maximus’ son. Because I usually skip over all the drama bits of the first film, I genuinely thought I had missed something. But really it was just the screenwriters inventing this out of thin air and finding a connection where there really wasn’t one in the first place. Nevertheless, you can either take it or leave it. The other odd thing that never gets explained is how Rome went from Maximus dying in the Colosseum for a government ruled by the senate to then Rome being ruled by hyper-sexual, hyper-violent, and borderline psychotic twin brothers. I guess a lot happens in 16 years.

Other than that, I quite enjoyed the story of the film. There are a lot of different moving pieces and often times the drama is more interesting than the fights, which is something I really wasn’t expecting to say. Denzel Washington does an incredible job playing an ex-slave who has plans to take over Rome. Pedro Pascal also does a good job playing a Roman General with plans to take over Rome. And Paul Mescal, though he initially didn’t have plans to take over Rome, eventually ends up planning to take over Rome. There is also an Indian doctor named Ravi, which may indeed be historically accurate, but just comes off as stereo typically hilarious. All kidding aside though, if I were to re-watch this film I would not skip over the drama bits – and that is saying a lot as this is a Gladiator film after all.

I also wish Hans Zimmer had returned to the score the film, but alas. Harry Gregson-Williams does the job, but it is never as bold or as interesting as what is happening on the screen and there is nothing as iconic as Zimmer’s score.

The production design and the cinematography are excellent. You really do feel as though you are brought back to a different time and Rome is very well realized. The film is also well-edited with tight pacing.

I think a lot of people’s enjoyment of this film will come down to how much they liked the first one as this film will never live up to the greatness of the first. The film draws a lot of parallels with the first film, and Mescal’s arch is similar to that of Maximus in the first film; however, this film also tries to be more than that and it worked for me. While this film really didn’t need to exist, I’m glad it does.