Cathy Ahner

This is a movie that you go into having high expectations given the cast selection but 10 minutes in and you feel your enthusiasm plummeting and disappointment rising. The acting is subpar, some lines and a few scenes were promising but faded quickly, CGI is terrible, storyline had potential moments but just didn’t go to where you hoped it would. Some things just didn’t make sense. A lot of eye rolling and thinking “how stupid is this?”. When watching the first Gladiator you could imagine that was how things really were… it seemed true & realistic. Gladiator II seemed too embellished, far fetched and at times had a weird vibe. I won’t give spoilers but you’ll know it as soon as you see certain details & scenes. I absolutely love Denzel Washington but even his performance was lacking. There is a striking difference in Connie Neilson’s performance/portrayal of her character between the two movies… again subpar in this sequel. However, I did like Pedro Pascal’s performance but that may be because there was nothing to compare it to. I kept thinking that I was glad I didn’t have to pay to see it and it’s not a movie that I’ll eagerly watch again. I don’t know who these people are who have given this movie such grand reviews but I’d never follow their recommendations if they truly feel this is a masterpiece… it really isn’t. It just doesn’t hold a candle to the first Gladiator. Disappointing.