Gladiator II (2024) - Movie Review

[@CodyLeachYT]

Play War Thunder now with my links, and get a massive, free bonus pack including vehicles, boosters and more on PC and consoles: playwt.link/codyleach | Mobile: wtm.game/codyleach

[@leftymaldonado1724]

Hey cody wanted to know what u thought about making a video ranking the top fighters in movies for example John wick, equalizer, James Bond etc and maybe even include legends like chuck norris,Steven seagal,Bruce lee,ip man,van damm,Charles Bronson etc to name a few. Think people would love this

[@jeffn4836]

Historically, they did fill the arena with water and have mock sea battles. The sharks not so much but the sea battles? Absolutely they did.

[@TheMattypoo21]

I had no idea.

[@andrewpayne5093]

But how did they fill and empty it ? Serious question... did they like have pipes or something ?

[@jeffn4836]

@ the arena was connected vie the aqueducts. There were channels beneath the floor of the arena. It’s hilarious that every reviewer is like “too unbelievable “ yet it actually happened (minus the sharks).

[@playedout148]

Brohistorically accurate. It's where Ridley scott meets Zack Snyder.

[@playedout148]

And absolutely Denzel Washington sat there and said, "HA-HAAA!" According to Espitumas Dio.

[@samd2013]

The arena actually was able to be filled with water and they had mock naval battles. Probably didn’t have sharks though. I thought it was cool to finally see something on screen that I’ve only read about.

[@ItsMaamgamestop]

of course they didn't have sharks LOL how would they have kept them alive? sharks have to swim to breath how would they have even got them there. its hard to do currently much less 2,000 years ago and a guy riding a rhino? Come on now

[@samd2013]

the rule of cool is why the sharks were in the movie. But I think they could’ve had the plausibility factor on their side if Ridley Scott used crocodiles instead.

[@wizzydoesdallas3408]

Believe it or not, it is considered to be historically accurate that they did have sea creatures in the coliseum. How that's possible, I have no idea.

[@GrandRegentSScratch]

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." Gladiator never needed a sequel, its a self contained movie.

[@Sirlance87]

My gf and I just returned from Rome and according to the tour guide they did fill the colosseum with water and they battled with boats.

[@generalsoul1]

Water filled coliseum’s were a real thing. Sharks not so much. But the “sea battles” inside coliseum’s were real.

[@ArmedandDangerous918]

the sharks were the least worst parts of the movie. What the hell was the story even about i didn’t understand a single thing about this movie

[@Manunido]

@@ArmedandDangerous918just rewatch the first movie and you’ll get the entire plot of the second movie

[@ItsMaamgamestop]

@@ArmedandDangerous918 It was borderline silly. Sharks in the colosseum? It's hard enough to transport and keep them alive now much less 2,000 years ago. A guy riding a rhino? Battles that took place 300 years different than from the movie. Ridley Scott is getting a little into his alien movies over the top on this one

[@wizzydoesdallas3408]

Having sharks/whales in the coliseum is said to be historically true. How that's even possible, idk. But it is said to be true.

[@lewiswilliams3137]

Gladiator and Lost Boys are my mum’s favourite films. She is cautiously optimistic about this one.

[@MoviesAtTheBar]

Tell her to avoid it. Its a terrible let down. She wont want to see my rant about it at my channel. Ironically I watched The Lost Boys a few weeks ago after 3 plus decades of not seeing it. I liked it this time ☺️

[@lewiswilliams3137]

@@MoviesAtTheBar damn, that’s unfortunate. Thanks for the heads up.

[@MrDrProfessersalt]

Your Mom would love Cody’s channel! 😂

[@MoviesAtTheBar]

@MrDrProfessersalt your momma would love my channel...I'm prettier than Cody 😂

[@RyderStaton]

A sequel that was never meant to release or didn’t need to release. But hey it might ENTERTAIN US!

[@TheMinarus]

Be careful Cody-filling the arenas with water was done- albeit on rare occasions(and not the one in Rome) - but sea battles were put on display it is not an inaccuracy so much as putting sharks in it I guess lol

[@michaelcoffey1991]

I expected it not to live up to the original as we all knew the original film never needed a sequel.

[@billysmithdrums]

i love going to see films in an actual cinema and recently came across gladitor MMV witht the intro from ridley scott, AMAZING first time watch. And best part is my father finally agreed to go to the movies with me and to watch him want to spend time at the movies with me, so whether its good or bad I'm just happy a movie can bring that moment, thanks Cody!

[@KiramidHead]

The rhino is something Scott wanted in the original, but the effects didn't work so they changed it to the tigers.

[@thestarwarsman573]

Literally just got back from seeing it. Thought it was alright. Villains were cartoony, but Paul and Pedro did reasonably well. Denzel was only alright I guess.

[@vincentjames7210]

Same. I'm sadly a bit disappointed. The action scenes we're really well shot i thought but the plot as a whole was all over the freaking place. And Lucius as a main character was a dud.

[@kfitz387]

I think time will be kind to this movie, it’s rare nowadays to get something that looks as expensive as it is

[@rodneywyatt9441]

The Roman version of The Force Awakens😂😂😂😂😂

[@victorduncker5267]

The main reason Gladiator II bothers me is because it kinda ruins the magic of the first one by forcing Lucius to be Maximus' bastard son. This wasn't necessary but more importantly it paints of different picture of Maximus that is not consistent with the man we all grew to respect. Here are a couple reasons why Lucius being the bastard son of Maximus does not work. When Maximus prays to his ancestors, he is always holding two figurines who clearly represent his wife and only son. He says "blessed father watch over my wife and son (singular) with a ready sword..." If Lucius was also his son, he would have said "my wife and sons" (plural) and he would be holding a 3rd figurine to represent Lucius. In order for the honorable Maximus to have gotten Lucilla pregnant with Lucius, he would've had to have slept with Lucilla while she was married to Lucius Verus and potentially while he (Maximus) was also married. At the very least, this means that the honorable Maximus disrespected the co-ruling emperor of Rome. This goes against the values and principles that Maximus stands for. In every conversation he and Lucilla have regarding their sons, they are always spoken of as belonging to them separately. When Maximus refers to Lucius, it's always "your son" and when Lucilla speaks of Lucius it's always "my son". This is not the language of parents who share a child. In a conversation with Lucilla in the first movie, Maximus says "I heard of your husband's death, I mourned him". This means Maximus respected her husband. How the hell does that line even work if he was shagging her behind his back? Next, in his conversation with his friend Juba about seeing their families in the afterlife, Maximus says this "You see, my wife and my son are already waiting for me." Does this sound like a man who has another son? Nope, Maximus has one goal. Avenge the death of his family and see them again in the afterlife. He does not mention Lucius, or pray for him, or try to stay alive to see him. The only reason Lucius is remotely important to him is because he cares for Lucilla. By killing Commodus, Maximus avenges the death of his family, saves Rome from the corrupt emperor, and unburdens Lucilla from fear of her son being killed. So, Ridley Scott's devotion to historical inaccuracy extends to his own stories, haha.

[@davidloflin3098]

I would have seen this already but Wifey wanted to see Wicked first so we saw that. Loved it. This weekend is mine however, so we're going Gladiator. I will conquer.

[@corycosta1818]

If i was the screen writer for this film i would be pissed. They try to act like Mescal being Lucius is some big reveal. I'm just like "dude, yeah we know" lol

[@xd-wp9iz]

(Spoilers) I didn’t know and it made me very not invested in the character. When his wife died I really didn’t care that much because there was no history, so the revenge arc felt very flat.

[@corypalmer5495]

Hey big head stop spoiling the movie I haven’t seen it yet. Now I have to erase my memory and forget I ever read this comment.

[@corycosta1818]

@@corypalmer5495 imagine going into the comment section of a review to a movie you haven't seen yet. Next level dumb

[@lockekappa500]

@@corypalmer5495 Dont worry you're going to want to erase your memory after you see the film.

[@corycosta1818]

@@corypalmer5495 imagine reading comments under a review for a movie you haven't seen yet.

[@worldsfinesteamup]

This was a good, fun sequel, that honored the original movie. The first one is miles better, but this sequel did what it was supposed to do. TERRANCE OUT

[@johnnyoldenjr.]

It wasnt good

[@CinemaandGames]

@CodyLeachYT - Gladiator II's score was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, who actually started his career working with Hans Zimmer on numerous projects. He worked with Hans on The Rock for example.

[@rxtsec1]

I do wish the sequel kept the original score

[@SACSoundOff]

As a standalone movie, I thought it was ok with some neat fight sequences. As a sequel to Gladiator, it didn’t live up to that rather high bar set by the first movie.

[@salo1129]

I saw the movie yesterday. I really enjoyed it in Dolby. The score, the SFX and the VFX were amazing. I hadn’t seen the original gladiator so for me this movie was amazing. I give it a 9/10

[@leftymaldonado1724]

Hey cody wanted to know what u thought about making a video ranking the top fighters in movies for example John wick, equalizer, James Bond etc and maybe even include legends like chuck norris,Steven seagal,Bruce lee,ip man,van damm,Charles Bronson etc to name a few. Think people would love this

[@paulholloway8885]

The thumbnail had me reminiscing about The Bar FELLA!

[@TheMattypoo21]

WE ARE THE BAR!!!!

[@movies_are_life]

The idea that Lucius was going to be a character to return was tossed around ever since 2000. I stayed away from everything in this movie, so I didn’t know if that was the direction or not. I don’t think the movie tried to play it off as a surprising reveal. It felt more like a reveal for how the characters changed and how Lucius didn’t want to personally reveal that aspect about his self until he accepted it.

[@MilliXL007]

😊😊

[@georgeharris9873]

It was good. No-where close to being as good as the original though. It will be released on 4-K Super High Definition Blu-ray in February.

[@Demonico-j7x]

I liked the original Gladiator but I’ve only seen it about 2-3 times since 2000. I wasn’t exactly enthused about a sequel 2.5 decades later but… I’ll check it out someday.

[@ericgarcia3640]

I didn't think Wicked or Gladiator were Incredible movies but I enjoyed them bot and am glad I watched. With college football tomorrow and the NFL on Sunday, I'm eating good

[@jordansweet8054]

I had a great time with this one. Great action,good cast, interesting story. Bring on Gladiator 3, Sir Ridley. And who cares about history? Sharks in the collisuem rock!

[@moviereelnews]

the did fill the colosseum with water to re-enact ship battles, but they didn't use sharks.

[@Milton2k]

One of the least needed sequels for the ending of "Gladiator" was just perfect. Now Maximus will have to deal with two lovers in Elysium... I smell trouble in paradise.

[@MarkS_1768]

Cody, your reviews are EXCELLENT. That is all.

[@therealaustink]

They did use to fill the colloseum with water and have naval battles. It's recorded and the chambers for the water and aqua ducts are still there

[@seanrobertson3462]

My wife and I had an idea going in but when he ran from the village we were like…yep that’s the kid…was funny how life in hiding changes your hair color and facial structure too

[@RuairiG]

31 on 31 debrief coming soon? It would kind of feel weird doing it in December

[@KiramidHead]

The one twist with Lucius I didn't really care for was making him Maximus' son. It's kind of a needless retcon, and feels like they were trying to force an emotional connection between Lucius and some guy he met once over a decade ago.

[@rxtsec1]

I think the first movie hinted to that

[@schwabs72]

Hope one day you find time to review the 1st one. Happy Holidays.

[@blakehoy7755]

No surprise. Haven't even seen it. No plans to see it. Was the most angry at a sequel announcement than any other movie than when I heard there was going to be a Gladiator 2...

[@MarWoj96]

I didn’t actually know that he was Lucius (like I didn’t have that part spoiled by an interview or something), but I saw it coming a mile away once the movie was vague about his backstory.

[@erictrott6553]

I didn't feel like I wasted my money. But it's not something I'd see twice. As far as it being "necessary?" Are any movies really "necessary?" That being said, there was a LOT that needed to happen for this movie to get from the beginning to the end. I commend the writers for even getting it done. I can't imagine what their storyboard looked like (I imagine, lots of strings). It's like they got halfway through the writing, couldn't figure out how to end it and just said "What if it's his son?" "Oooo. Ahhhhh."

[@ScentsOfSouthJersey]

They 100% made it very clear the whole time before this movie was released that it was about Lucious and who was playing Lucious, it was the whole avenue of the sequel. So I agree it’s weird that it was sort of this pretend hidden story line as if majority of people didn’t know

[@jasonito23]

Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, Djimon Hounsou, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Hans Zimmer means that no quality sequel is possible. Impossible. Denzel Washington is actually the only character that I'm interested in seeing.

[@Letstunein]

I knew who the character was , but didn’t bother me. I liked going in knowing. But I actually loved this movie! Always enjoy your reviews! Very balanced!

[@chris.shamblin]

I absolutely loved it. It isn’t quite as good as the original, but it’s far better than I ever would have expected it to be. I think it’s definitely worthy of standing alongside the original, in my opinion.

[@Terrifier624]

To be honest, I really didn't think THAT'S who the main character was, BUT that's because I didn't think they would take that route (for some reason)

[@Lone_wolf1215]

I knew who he was from the beginning.

[@TheFlaspideYT]

At least you enjoyed it! Awesome review, Cody!

[@madhatterpreviewsandreview4877]

Even though the trailer doesn't spoil it, you can learn who the main character is just by looking up the synopsis for the film. I expected it to be obvious from the start but to treat it like a plot twist was really weird.

[@nicktheking4056]

I also thought the choice to keep Mescals character’s identity a mystery kind of odd because I remember reading the plot synopsis months ago on IMDB where they reveal it…

[@jng24]

I love Mescal and even I agree it was the biggest uphill battle ever for my guy to compare to Crowe.

[@jng24]

Check out AFTERSUN tho

[@playedout148]

Its like Gladiator meets Transformers with Denzel Washington going, "HA-HAAA!" Edit: His serious days as an actor are over.

[@Milton2k]

The flashbacks made clear who the protagonist was... otherwise they would make little sense.

[@jaredsilberkleit3923]

There’s a part of me that found utterly hysterical the idea that in Ancient Rome, they didn’t have football or baseball so instead people filled stadiums to see two ships battle it out in a pool of shark infested waters 🤣🤣🤣

[@AshParth560]

Not gonna lie, the best kind of thumb-side, as I can call it, when ya say it was so-so. 😅

[@the_snakeplissken]

Aw man. My issue with Kingsman is that Samuel L plays the villain as a total cartoon character and kinda ruins it for me. Sounds like the same thing here

[@funkrobot9762]

Yeah but Kingsmen is basically a cartoon anyway.

[@r.e.holding]

It was a surprise for me, but I also didn't remember much about the first one to make sense of it

[@AMindfulMomentwithTopazStJames]

Excellent review! Thank you! My thoughts were summarized perfectly. It was definitely not epic in any sense of the first movie. I got the feeling it was hastily thrown together with some shock value scenes to bring the viewer back in.

[@TheKellingtime]

I think most from the marketing knew it was Aluthius(spelling) Maximus' son. I did. It didn't hurt my experience enjoying it. Not the masterpiece that the first one was, but a good companion piece to the original.

[@paulberrymusic3439]

If you go to Rome and go to the coliseum they’ll explain to you and show you how they used to have mock sea battles with ships in it , . Fact

[@collectingtheking]

Having not yet seen the film (11-23-24) and when I first heard there would be a sequel, I ALWAYS knew who that character would be.

[@LucasGreen-g5z]

I dig the original. I haven't seen part deux. Btw remember Siskel and Ebert? I just envisioned Leach & Lomax: At the Movies 😂

[@mediamaniac898]

The issue with Mescal is that the screenplay doesn’t let him be his own character. It desperately needs Maximus 2.0. And WAY too much of this movie has callbacks to the first. Pretty much everything you said is how I feel. Coming out of the movie, I was disappointed and didn’t feel that this movie needed to exist at all! And yes, I did know because the basic premise tells you! Would’ve been a better idea to just leave it as a Big Reveal, including other plot points about halfway through. It’s like Scott didn’t trust that we would enjoy a movie that was not Gladiator with all-new characters who have interesting arcs, and give you that emotional investment.

[@anson.meadows]

I think music or soundtracks make or break most epic films. Storytelling in subtlety.

[@el_killorcure]

I was waiting for The Simpson's Captain Lance Murdoch to show up when they filled the Colliseum with water...

[@rosyfoxtrot]

I just went to Rome and did the underground tour of the coliseum and I was surprised to hear the filled it with water for them battles how the heck did they do that lmao

[@esovae]

To be honest, the end of the first gladiator leaves it kind of open if Lucius is actually his son or not,... So not a huge spoiler at all, some people guessed he was his son, other people had no idea how many people Connie Nielsen was with LOL 🤔🤷🤣

[@oneirosmorpheus]

I agree with your rating and I appreciate of all people online you were the only one to break it down and really discuss the positives of this film. You definitely analyze the film with an open mind. I was not expecting this film to be just as good as part I but was it a horrible movie, I don't think so. It was decent. Did Gladiator I needed a sequel? I don't think so either but well it's here anyway lol.

[@andrewpayne5093]

Won't be long until we get a sequel to troy now..

[@mallorykonrade4519]

I hope they leave it alone!!

[@TalkingThrones]

Starring Zendaya

[@trilljj]

The water boat fights did happen but the sharks no , no way. They should have used crocs instead I could see that being more realistic

[@kendrickawesomeness]

From googling it and the trailers saying his name is Lucius I always knew who he was since the first trailer came out

[@eggizzle67]

Yes I knew about the lead character. And yes it took me out of the movie a bit with how they handled it.

[@HarryPotterFTW19]

I knew who he was before going into the movie, didn’t realize it was supposed to be a surprise

[@lesliee1002]

Wasn’t the main character’s identity in the trailer?

[@CodyLeachYT]

I wasn’t sure when I recorded this but yes it definitely was

[@sirjonsmithiii992]

Good review, but I have not heard one person say it was the best sequel of all time.

[@alexpletcher4365]

I avoided every second of footage of this prior to seeing it (I love Gladiator, it meant a lot to me) and yes I think you're right it's confusing it's handling of his identity but I thought more than it being a reveal I took it as he was denying his identity until he embraced it... but with the flashback and such it is revealing it to you in case you somehow didn't know, which how wouldn't you so yeah haha

[@Bullz_eye47]

It's gladiating time!

[@Letstunein]

😂😂😂

[@johnpaulgonzaga5997]

Here in the Phils not yet released so havent watched it yet but I knew who he was from the trailer

[@jakewheeler6014]

History says they did fill the arena with water for mock naval battles.

[@CodyLeachYT]

Yeah…with enough water to float miniature ships with bulls and horses running through it. Not “half an ocean” as I described.

[@extofer]

⁠@@CodyLeachYT hmm. Not trying to be rude, but saying “miniature boats” with animals running through might be a bit disingenuous. While there is no actual archeological evidence of naval battles being done in the Colosseum, it is true that ancient Roman authors wrote that there were. Thus, historians debate whether they actually happened or not. That said, we do know that the Colosseum *could* be flooded. Taking that and the written accounts, I think it’s okay to suspend some disbelief for the sake of artistic license - to an extent. Like you said, however, the scale of what is presented in the film is a probably huge embellishment.

[@LetsTalkHorrorMovies]

Seeing the move today but yeah I already knew he was and I think the 2nd trailer even mentions it So for the movie to act like that is a plot twist would be frustrating

[@Lonewolfx6]

Hope to see this soon.

[@el_killorcure]

I guess we should see Denzel in this movie like Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: he'll entertain us, at the movie's expense. View it as a comedy and you'll enjoy it...

[@Jamesdean999]

"My man."😂

[@el_killorcure]

@Jamesdean999 He's so good it made Men in Tights almost impossible to parody him...

[@aliinlondon]

Troy!? Bubblegum incarnate, mate !! Cheers, best wishes & keep it up

[@jacketernity4609]

Great video as always! Wish I didn't watch the trailers now. LoL.

[@douggimmedome124]

cody, i hope you review the hannibal TV series someday, definitely one of my favorites of all time!

[@Robalexe]

Hey Cody, when is the 31 on 31 debrief gonna be?

[@TalkingThrones]

Gladiator is a top 10 film for me. This looks like an abomination (But I will check it out still)

[@GetFramed]

The way I interpreted the identity reveal that you mention was that it was meant to be a revelation for Lucilla, not the audience. Sort of like Hank trying to find Heisenberg in Breaking Bad. You as the audience know who Heisenberg is, but when he reads the book, it’s a revelation for Hanks character, not the audience. Also I don’t know if you saw Napoleon from last year, but it had its similarities to Gladiator 2. Ridley seems to be enjoying making films where emperors are actually a bunch of bumbling idiots. I found it very entertaining, but I get it if it doesn’t work for you.

[@Milton2k]

The worst for me was the ending song, for "Now we are free" hit hard back in the day. With this.... nothing.

[@paulevertsen5216]

I had the exact same reaction to this movie and non of my friends understood why, they loved it

[@BoBrewer-v6j]

Hopefully I see you have the Balls to do a Cody vs Stuckman review 😮 good Luck I think you should win

[@mygameishonesty9030]

"Horn f***" is crazy. 😂

[@Trill_Tour]

I wasn't disappointed because my expectations weren't high to begin with. It's a flawed but amusing because of how ridiculous some of it is

[@juanizquierdo1737]

I enjoyed the movie. Obviously, the first movie was one of the greatest movies ever made and I love it. Mescal did a good job, but he is no Russell Crowe, especially in stature, so I won't hold it against him. I felt it was obvious that Lucius' dad was going to be Maximus during the first movie, but of course it was not mentioned. I agree that it would have been a better movie if it was made a fact right away. Either way, I know the action scenes, especially the shark scene, were a little over the top, but it made it feel like an 80's action movie. Denzel was great, Pedro was solid as always and Connie Nielson was wonderful and still looks amazing!

[@Sebastian04223]

I’m not expecting them to top the first movie that’s almost never possible. But if it’s at least “good” and enjoyable then that’s all I want. These people who hate it go into it expecting it to be better than the first

[@fnkevin6307]

I thought the lead actor was made to look like Russell Crowe's character from the original. That gave his identity away for me. I said very early in the movie "I wouldn't be surprised if this is Russell Crowe's character's son.

[@JRAYDABEAST]

I’ll be honest when it came to the identity reveal I thought that’s who he was but I was wondering if they were going to trick me. I figured it out maybe 30-40 minutes in

[@seanrooney170]

I think the film would have been better if Lucius wasn't Maximus son and was just a prisoner that got revenge and used what Maximus done as motivation

[@LostHorizons0]

Thanks you saved me a ticket this is one of those things that didn’t even need to be made. 10 when this came out you are a baby I was already 18 when this was out.

[@jaywash313]

I knew exactly who he was beforehand, but csnt remember where I seen it though!

[@lbuades88]

I knew who he was because I read it in the 3 line synopsis on filmaffinity 😂