Gathering his focus, Lucius Verus, played by Paul Mescal, strides toward the arena with the sole purpose of survival on his mind next to his captured soldiers. Gladiator 2 was released on Nov. 22 and fans were on the edge of their seats for the two and a half hour long movie. Verus was enjoying life in Africa with his wife, but his enjoyment is short-lived as the Roman fleet of ships approaches his home, ready for war and crushing anyone who dares to step in their way.

I like how the filmmakers displayed the extent of the Roman Empire’s power by showing their massive fleet of ships, showing just how imposing it was and setting a tone of defeat in the movie before the battle even started. Even after putting up their best fight, the small African kingdom cannot stop the powerful Roman army. Coming towards their village, the Roman army shows off their imposing array of soldiers.

Brought to the main kingdom of Rome, Verus is led into an arena with killer monkeys to test the strength of warriors for the main arena to fight in front of the emperors. Macrinus, played by
Denzel Washington, is the organizer of contests and likes the aggression and rage he sees.

Macrinus takes Verus as his champion and promises to help Verus kill General Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal. Verus was an entertaining character to watch, never giving up and fighting alongside his brothers.

The movie adds a nice backstory that helps the audience understand history, regardless of if they saw the first movie. The constant action and intriguing storyline keeps people invested and made for a great watching experience. The first movie adds a layer of depth, as it depicts Verus’s father going through a similar experience and having to flee his home due to power-hungry emperors.

In the second movie Verus continues his father’s legacy throughout the movie. The director gives the viewers insight to Verus’s father’s legacy by showing flashbacks of him, his father, and mother to help us understand the backstory of his hatred and anger.

In the first Gladiator we see the father of Lucius getting ordered to death and forced to fight just like his son, continuing the series through generations.

I loved this movie, it was a great sequel to the first Gladiator movie. I would recommend this movie to action lovers and people who enjoyed the previous movie.