The epic sequel is underwhelming if you have seen the first one. It offers nothing new if you have seen Gladiator, Spartacus, and the more recent TV series "Those About to Die". While there are plenty of gladiatorial fights, they are not very exciting. The introduction of killer monkeys and a rhinoceros is just ludicrous. The most absurd is the flooding of the Coliseum to simulate a naval battle with sharks swimming around. Even that is not original, as it had been done in Those About to Die (with more believable crocodiles)
Acting-wise, apart from Denzel Washington, the rest are just pure bad. The worst acting is the mother of the protagonist. Then, you would say, who watches Gladiator for its acting, right? The story is unimaginative and unoriginal too. It's the same old same old.