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“Are you not entertained?” It has been nearly twenty five years since we heard that question be shouted at us as Russell Crowe, portraying Maximus, in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” left his footprints in cinema history. Several Oscar wins (including Best Picture) and many a cultural phenomenon later we find ourselves asking the same question. Are we entertained? It is a tricky thing to answer today, for the average movie goer maybe not so much. Or maybe it takes a Barbenheimer or Top Gun: Maverick to do so. For your local cinephile, I am sure he or she can talk your ear off about the state of cinema. And to be honest as a fellow cinephile the fears are valid, and yet we can still find ourselves “entertained.” What is missing in some regards are those forgotten times where great epics dominated the screen. Some of those epics have aged better and regardless of what the noise may want you to believe 2000’s “Gladiator” is one of those films that has aged gracefully. Therefore its sequel appropriately titled GLADIATOR II had quite a cultural landmark on its shoulders. Thankfully GLADIATOR II is a spectacle on every level as well as being the rare studio movie that appreciates its audience as well as its craft. A film less worried about your enjoyment and more focused on reminding you how enjoyable films can be in general. A feeling less about being reminded you are watching a movie and rather one fully surrounding you as it thrusts you into the madness that only a colosseum can try to contain. It is also a constant reminder that Ridley Scott still ahs the juice. A filmmaker who has always done things his way for better or worse, Scott shows his dedication not just to movies, but to keeping grand storytelling alive. It is as if, like his films, Scott knows that in the wrong hands cinema can become lost to the history books. A director who balks at others who want to retire early, Scott uses GLADIATOR II not just as a fuck you to anyone trying to slow him down, but also his way of answering Crowe’s question. Because in his mind how the hell could you not be entertained?!

Rome will soon fall again. We are told early on that its has been sixteen years since Maximus stood up to the evil emperor Commodus and killed him. However the dream of a true and just Rome (a dream inspired by the late emperor Marcus Aurelius) is no more and the Roman empire expands its takeover with violence and hatred. For Lucius Paul mescal) this means his home of Numidia is seized by general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) in the name of Rome and the many casualties (including Lucius’ wife) are just a numeric prize for the powerful empire. GLADIATOR II may feel familiar in story, and to many degrees it is, but quickly destroying the fears of a reboot of such, GLADIATOR II continues the story (even with some slight playful retconning) allowing Lucius the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen reprising her role from the original) and Maximus to take on the mantle. However Lucius may bear the name but he wants nothing to do with it (for most of the film he refutes being called the name entirely). Instead vengeance and bloodshed is his path so when he is thrown into slavery and forced to be a gladiator under the tutelage of Macrinus (Denzel Washington) all roads lead to Rome.

Like the first film all the action and drama first rely on the talents of the cast and leading man Mescal may not yet be the movie star power of Russell Crowe during the 2000’s but Mescal carries the same heroic qualities in his performance that makes it impossible not to want to follow him into battle. The boyish charm mixed with the handsome looks gives Mescal the ability to win you over while also believe every bit of physical exercise he must display as Lucius. Mescal taking on the role originated by Spencer Treat Clark is able to bring that anger with hm throughout that has changed since his time as a young boy who once lived in the castle and was beyond curious. Lucius is far from a stunted man but GLADIATOR II has some interesting character develops that calls for a needed change in Lucius and his bloodlust if he is to be a true leader. But if Mescal is the hero than a hero must have a villain. GLADIATOR II however offers up many, sometimes to a level of playful bait and switch but no matter what it all comes down on one man; Denzel. An actor known for playing leading roles (practically his whole movie career) it is both exciting and a little confusing at times to get used to seeing him in the background at times. And yet like Denzel Washington does he steals every moment and commands the screen with such furiousness that you wonder how any actor or in this sense character can best his Macrinus. It’s a role that requires Denzel to put on his best bisexual diva and swagger about the screen as his political ambitions are as heinous as our newly elected.

GLADIATOR II does not want to just bring us back to Rome it wants to amp up the absurdity in ways the original either chose not to or felt unsure of how at the time. The first Gladiator is very much known for its serious manner but its sequel much like the absurd “Megalopolis” from this year wants to show that amongst all the ingenuity and bloodshed Rome’s biggest downfall was its outlandish leaders and traditions. The Gladiator fights are bigger this time with a naval battle that is one of the many awesome examples of actually seeing where the big budget is going rather than wondering how a movie about rescuing Santa Claus can cost $250 million. GLADIATOR II with the same budget displays it in every gigantic set piece, costume design and appropriately used animal CGI (some moments better looking than others). Even its leaders bring a wilder sense with Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger (as Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla respectively) delivering two performances as Roman leaders that know less about politics and more about being whiny men who would much rather puppet their city than lead it. The politics of GLADIATOR II are timeless in their view of corrupt and mindless leaders, and yet it feels more relevant and scarier than ever. The humor of these scenes are also met with the rage that comes from dangerous men playing with their people as if they were nothing but insects to torment. But Scott for all his anger towards modern day politics and its inability to escape the past has such a fondness for the possibility of what could be and the heroes that can rise.

There is a dream believed throughout GLADIATOR II that makes it far more interesting than you’d expect from a sequel twenty five years later. That dream of a true and just Rome exists in Lucius as it does his mother Lucilla and it is welcoming to see Connie Nielsen get more work here even if her role is still often just a worried mother. But as Lucilla lets us know she has been fighting nonstop since the day Maximus died and the film shows us not just where her hard work has paid off (and where it has not) but also that the people do yearn for a better life and world. Pedro Pascal as the general Acacius is not just the figurehead for all Lucius’ anger he is also a more fleshed out “villain” that brings an interesting dynamic to how empires are expected to expand their rule and the cost of it all. The film leaves very little side characters to the waste as even a kind gladiator doctor Ravi (a terrific Alexander Karim) reminds Lucius that while many live in fear the fighting still happens in whispers. The excitement of GLADIATOR II, much like the first film, does not just come from its intense and bloody battles but rather the birth of a hero and the people who will follow. This does not need to happen in a sweeping epic finale but rather a comforting message told through words to all that these leaders who abandon us do not need to be our finality. Instead look upon them not as gods but as weak and unjust men who are few in numbers. If that isn’t an epic of timeless proportions than I do not what else is, and Scott clearly believes in this as his story with these Gladiators feels far from over not in the sense of another sequel many years later, but rather in inspiring its audience to know that they deserve better. A better world is a big task but not an impossible one but Ridley Scott seems to believe that a movie that’s smart and entertaining as hell is a good place to start.

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GLADIATOR II WILL BE RELEASED IN U.S THEATERS EVERYWHERE NOVEMBER 22