The Catalyst / IMDb

Gladiator II is still available in theaters and is now available to be streamed on numerous online platforms and services.

The sequel Gladiator II, released in theaters in late 2024, was groundbreaking and long-awaited, as the original Gladiator movie, with Golden Globe and Oscar winner Russel Crowe, was released in 2000. While sequels are generally not as popular as the original, Gladiator II proved to be largely a commercial success, earning 71% Rotten Tomatoes

“I thought it was very good,” said junior Katie Moorhead when asked about Gladiator II. “I thought it was beautiful cinematography, and the directing was also very good, and the acting was on point, and it was really just a great blockbuster film…I do not think it beats the original, but that’s a very high bar that you’re putting it on.” 

Gladiator II has many connections to the original, one of the main ones being that the main character, Lucius, is the son of the main character from the original, Maximus. Additionally, in the opening scene of Gladiator II, there were dramatic scenes from the first movie shown, giving not necessarily a summary, but a refresher.

Gallery • 2 Photos

The Catalyst / IMDb

Paul Mescal starred in "Gladiator II" as Lucius.

“The cinematography was awesome,” said Wendy Connolly about Gladiator II. “ I loved the history behind it, whether accurate or inaccurate…Acting was pretty good, and I also liked how you could pick up on characters from the first one and see where they sit in the second one….During last year’s Intersession, we went to Italy, and we went to the coliseum, and one of the things they talked about is how they would flood the coliseum to do battleship battles, and they had made a reference to that [in the movie].”

Gladiator II’s dramatic and gripping storyline ultimately drew many people to the theatre and gave the original a backstory and follow-up. Additionally, the movie’s intensity allowed many people who saw it to respect the director Ridley Scott, who also directed the first film. 

Overall, Gladiator II’s cinematic violence gave the audience a sequel that answered questions and gave lovers of the original movie something to love again about gladiator fighting.