Gladiator II (2024) - Scott delivers another rousing spectacle

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Six central characters and a rhinoceros-involved fight scene are teased on this flashy poster for Ridley Scott's Gladiator II

Roman general Acacius overtakes Numibia in North Africa and enslaves the warrior Hanno. Swearing vengeance, Hanno becomes a gladiator but comes to more realizations while fighting for his survival.

 

Gladiator II is written by David Scarpa (The Last Castle (2001)), with Peter Craig (12 Strong (2008)), and co-produced and directed by English master filmmaker Ridley Scott (The Duellists (1977)), whose 29th feature it is. It is the sequel to Scott's triumphant masterpiece, Gladiator (2000). 

Paul Mescal (The Lost Daughter (2021)) smiles too much and is somehow too daintily attractive as his character, but he's in a well-oiled, mammoth-sized machine here that is a highly enjoyable throw-back to the macho universe of ancient Rome. Derek Jacobi (The Sandman (2022, TV-series)) and Connie Nielsen (Nobody (2021)) of the original return, SPOILER and the regal Nielsen musters up most of the film's emotional heft in scenes with her returned son Hanno/Lucius. The weight of these scenes is limited, but the film has a great ace in Hanno's gladiator mentor Macrinus, played with delicious verve by Denzel Washington (The Equalizer (2014)), the Marlon Brando of our age. SPOILER Macrinus is by far the most interesting character in the film, a sly, chameleonic figure who turns out to be an unruly, self-serving master manipulator. And Washington gets a fantastic death scene in the brutal Gladiator II.

There's more action than in the original, and Scott throws in monstrous baboons, a rhino and sharks in the Colosseum, effectively making sure that everyone is aware that this is a fictional adventure with only very dim links to actual history. Great costumes distinguish the film, which also revolves around the story of the volatile, easily influenced twin emperors Geta and Caracalla.

Scott continues his recent stride with a ramming hammer of a sword and sandals spectacle, not without blemishes, and not as impacting as the original by a longshot but a damn good time at the multiplex it sure is.

 

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American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
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Matchstick Men (2003) - Great Cage job highlights entertaining Scott crime dramedy 

Hannibal (2001) - Grisly highlights in low-yielding Scott sequel 

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

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Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 250 mil. $

Box office: 368.5 mil. $ and counting

= Too early to say

[Gladiator II premiered 18 October (Los Angeles) and runs 148 minutes. Sequel ideas and scripts were in the works shortly after the first film's premiere in 2000, for many years revolving around a returning star Russell Crowe either brought back to life or in a fantasy/religious story in purgatory. Shooting took place from May - July 2023 and from December 2023 - January 2024, interrupted involuntarily by the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes, with reshoots in June 2024, in Malta, Morocco and in England, including in London. Scott has stated that he rented back his Kingdom of Heaven (2005) sets from the Moroccan government, which he had sold to them for 10$ after wrapping that film since dismantling them would cost more. The film reportedly received the largest tax rebate in EU history of 46.6 mil. € from the Maltese state, bringing its monstrous 310 mil. $ cost down to 250 mil. $. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release Wicked, to a 55 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it remains in the top 5. The mega-budgeted film still have a very long way before it may reach black numbers. It is nominated for 2 Golden Globes and has won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Scott has talked of a number 3 but is first turning to other projects. He is set to return with Bee Gees movie You Should Be Dancing. Mescal returns in The History of Sound (2025); Washington in High and Low. Gladiator II is certified fresh at 72 % at Rotten Tomatoes with a 6.60/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Gladiator II?

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) - Lawrence and Lawrence champion YA sci-fi

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Star Jennifer Lawrence looks tough in armor and added on wings on this fiery poster for Francis Lawrence's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

Catniss is in mourning over Peeta's death, when she learns that he is actually still alive but held captive. The resistance movement now position Catniss as their mockingjay, the leader and inspiration for their rebellion.

 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is written by Peter Craig (Blood Father (2016)) and Danny Strong (The Butler (2013)), adapting Mockingjay (2010) by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games (2008)), and directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine (2005)). It is the 3rd film in the Hunger Games franchise.

Jennifer Lawrence (Passengers (2016)) is still good as the natural center for the films, leading with big emotions and in this one also singing. Mockingjay 1 is a piece of entertaining, youth-centered science fiction with a certain amount of brains behind it; for instance the film also shows how the good heroine is also staged for effect. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is good but feels a bit like a long middle chapter.

 

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Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 140 mil. $

Box office: 755.3 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 5.39 times the cost)

[The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 premiered 10 November (London) and runs 123 minutes. Shooting took place back-to-back with Mockingjay Part 2 from September - December 2013 in Germany, including in Berlin, Paris France, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts and in Los Angeles, California. Lawrence was paid 7.5 mil. $ for her performance in the film. The film opened #1 to a 121.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends at #1 and two more in the top 5 (#2-#5), grossing 337.1 mil. $ (44.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 48.6 mil. $ (6.4 %) and China with 36.5 mil. $ (4.8 %). Co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an overdose at a late stage of production, and the film is dedicated to him. It additionally made in excess of 73.1 mil. $ on the home video market in North America alone. The final film in the original saga was released as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015), which was Francis Lawrence's return as a filmmaker as well as Jennifer Lawrence's return as a star. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is fresh at 70 % with a 6.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1? 

The Town (2010) - Renner stands out in entertaining, flawed training picture for Affleck

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This poster for Ben Affleck's The Town conjures up a threatening vibe

 

A young, beautiful bank director is taken hostage, then freed. One of the robbers falls in love with her. We get to know the bank robbers' mecca: Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts.

 

The Town is written by Peter Craig (Blood Father (2016)), Aaron Stockard (Gone Baby Gone (2007)) and great Californian co-writer-director-star Ben Affleck (Argo (2012)), based on the novel Prince of Thieves (2004) by Chuck Hogan (The Standoff (1995)). It has a good car chase, and Jeremy Renner (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)) is good in it.

The film is pretty entertaining, although it bears the mark of being another 'training movie' for Affleck as director and has a very drawn out ending. The purpose of the film seems to hang in the air to some degree.

Related reviews:

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Jeremy Renner gives an interview about the film at the Toronto International Film Festival here

Cost: 37 mil. $

Box office: 154 mil. $

= Big hit

[The Town premiered September 8 (Venice International Film Festival) and runs 124 minutes. Warner bought the rights to the book in 2006. Sheldon Turner's developing job was tossed out, as Affleck was hired in 2008. He and his high school mate Stockard did research in Charlestown, including involving locals as extras, and Affleck went specifically for Pete Postlethwaite, who died soon after its release, for the film after seeing his audition tape for Inception. Filming took place from August - September 2009 in Massachusets, including Charlestown, and Connecticut. The claims in The Town about the crime in Charlestown are hugely exaggerated and also refer to a (smaller) spike that happened in the 1990s. The film opened #1 with a 23.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for 3 weeks in total and grossed 92.1 mil. $ (59.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 8.9 mil. $ (5.8 %) and the UK with 7.4 mil. $ (4.8 %). The film received one Oscar nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Renner), which it lost to Christian Bale for The Fighter. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. A 2012 extended cut of around 150 minutes has also been released; it apparently has a darker ending and is preferred by Affleck. The Town is certified fresh at 94 % with a 7.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Town?