Vulture - Gladiator II
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Gladiator II

“Gladiator II is a funny title for a movie — any movie, not just a Gladiator sequel. A few years back, we might have reckoned with a title like Gladiator: Rise of Lucius or Sand and Blood: A Gladiator Saga, but no, now it’s just Gladiator II. You remember Gladiator? This is the second one. The Roman numerals are because these guys are Roman. Don’t overthink it.” — Fran Hoepfner, “Gladiator II Is Kind of a Comedy”

Everything else

  1. at the box office
    This Is What a $425 Million Box-Office Weekend Looks LikeThe Wicked–Gladiator II–Moana 2 trifecta laid waste to the previous Thanksgiving-weekend record.
    By Chris Lee
  2. oscar futures
    95th Annual Academy Awards - Show
    Big, Happy Families Win OscarsWhich 2024 films will benefit most from the holiday-card dynamic this year?
    By Nate Jones
  3. alternate timelines
    What If Russell Crowe Never Won the Oscar for Gladiator?The Academy’s choice in 2001 echoes in eternity …
    By Joe Reid
  4. at the box office
    How Wicked Felled Gladiator II at the Box OfficeEarlier this year, all indications pointed to Gladiator II being fall’s must-see movie. Here’s how the Roman combat epic lost its advantage.
    By Chris Lee
  5. roman forensics
    The Gladiator II Line That Broke My BrainHistorical accuracy in movies can be a strange, slippery thing, and the way we respond to it can be even stranger.
    By Bilge Ebiri
  6. box office report card
    Wicked UK premiere - London
    Wicked vs. Gladiator II: Who won Glicked Weekend?Are you not entertained? Or are you holding space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity”?
    By Bethy Squires
  7. oscar futures
    Just How Glicked Will the 2025 Oscars Get?Denzel Washington will take his third statue now.
    By Nate Jones
  8. review roundup
    Are Critics Entertained By Gladiator II?Everyone is comparing Ridley Scott’s sequel to his Oscar-winning original.
    By Jennifer Zhan
  9. that’s politics
    Gladiator II Is Kind of a ComedyWhat, like the fall of Rome isn’t a little silly?
    By Fran Hoepfner
  10. swords and sandals
    Which Gladiator Movie Gets the Most Thumbs Up?We rank the XIII best gladiator movies by how good, and how gladiator-y, they are.
    By James Grebey
  11. performance review
    Denzel Washington Should Always Have a Little ShawlOnly one element of Gladiator II is serving the pomposity and archness the movie needs: Denzel Washington and his many, many lavish fits.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  12. thumb down
    Gladiator II Should’ve Let Paul Mescal KissThe “dream of Rome,” yeah, whatever. The dream of Lucius and Ravi, though!
    By Roxana Hadadi
  13. endings
    It’s Thumbs-down for the Forgettable Ending of Gladiator IIThe final fight is satisfying neither as spectacle nor dramatic payoff. It just kind of … happens, and then the movie ends.
    By A.A. Dowd
  14. fact check
    Ask a Roman-History Professor: Were There Ever Sharks in the Colosseum?Gladiator II director Ridley Scott famously does not care about historical accuracy in his films but we had to ask.
    By Louis Peitzman
  15. vulture lists
    Every Ridley Scott Movie, RankedSizing up the director’s decades-long career.
    By Scott Tobias
  16. oscar futures
    How Every Oscar Movie Can Be the Anti-Trump MovieLike it or not, we’re in for yet another awards season operating in the shadow of Donald Trump. Which campaigns can take advantage of the vibe shift?
    By Nate Jones
  17. hi gay
    Denzel Washington Says His Gay Kiss Was Cut From Gladiator II“I think they got chicken.”
    By Bethy Squires
  18. oscar futures
    Are Netflix Normies Ready for Emilia Pérez?An indefinable musical by a French auteur is headed for millions of streaming subscribers. Most of them will be entirely unprepared.
    By Nate Jones
  19. movie review
    I Hate to Say This, But Men Deserve Better Than Gladiator IIRidley Scott’s sequel might make you wonder if we’ve lost the ability to treat brawny historical epics earnestly.
    By Alison Willmore
  20. oscar futures
    Post-Screening Movie Hype Tweets, DecodedUsing this week’s Gladiator II reactions as a guide, here’s a dictionary for common phrases.
    By Nate Jones
  21. runaway bride
    Paul Mescal Should Not Let Himself Be Interviewed in a ParkHe has a reputation to dismantle (that he runs away during dates).
    By Jason P. Frank
  22. fall preview 2024
    21 Movies We Can’t Wait to See This FallIncluding the most-talked-about titles from Cannes and a divisive epic from a New Hollywood legend.
    By A.A. Dowd
  23. trailer mix
    Denzel Washington Gives Us a Giggle in Gladiator IIFor a trailer full of visual spectacle, two words from Denzel Washington steal the show.
    By Jason P. Frank
  24. coming soon
    Paul Mescal Is ‘Big and Strong’ in Gladiator IIMovie-theater employees keep saying it’s “not November yet,” but we’re simply too seated.
    By Zoe Guy
  25. boundaries
    Please Stop Asking Russell Crowe About Gladiator 2Leave the man alone!
    By Charu Sinha
  26. sick gains
    Yawn! Paul Mescal Is Bored With How Swole He’s GettingAny sick gains Mescal makes must be in service to the story.
    By Bethy Squires
  27. gladia2r
    Pedro Pascal’s Knee to Star in Gladiator 2The Ridley Scott-directed sequel will release on November 22, 2024.
    By Jennifer Zhan
  28. sequels
    Ridley Scott Is Ready to Entertain You With Gladiator 2The new story would follow an all-grown-up Lucius.
    By Jordan Crucchiola
  29. travesties
    Studio Rejects Nick Cave’s Awesome-Sounding Gladiator 2 ScreenplayIt’s true, we guess!
    By Lane Brown