Gladiator 2 is a sequel to director Ridley Scott’s critically acclaimed 2000 film with Paul Mescal taking over the lead role. The epic historical action film follows the story of Lucius Verus, the son of Maximus as he is captured by the Roman forces and forced to fight as a Gladiator to seek his freedom and overthrow the empire.
The much-anticipated film recently held a screening for the press with early reactions to it cropping up on the internet. The initial reactions are extremely positive with several viewers who saw the movie at the screening praising it as one of Ridley Scott’s best works in recent times. Here is what the first reactions to Gladiator 2 reveal about the sequel’s quality.
Early Reactions Praise Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 as an Oscar-Worthy Spectacle
Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott was released in 2000 and set the gold standard for historical action films, emerging as a critical and commercial success. After almost two decades, Scott is returning with a sequel that is slated to release next month.
The upcoming Gladiator 2 was recently screened in Los Angeles in front of an audience of AMPAS and SAG voters. Following the screening, first reactions to the movie have surfaced online and they have been nothing but overwhelmingly positive for the Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington-led second installment.
On X (formerly Twitter), Clayton Davis of Variety shared his reaction to the movie praising Scott for his direction, calling it the director’s best work since Black Hawk Down. You can check out Davis’ full comments about the sequel below.
Furthermore, Davis added that the film was powered by brilliant performances, highlighting Denzel Washington as one of the standout actors. He described it as one of Washington’s most killer roles yet, suggesting that the actor could be in contention to win an Academy Award for his performance simply based on first impression.
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 Receives Praise For Action and Performances
Davis wasn’t the only one to praise the film, as several others who attended the screening shared similar reactions on social media. Here is what some of the other viewers had to say about Gladiator 2 on X.
As the tweets suggest, the movie is receiving extremely positive reactions with praise for Scott’s direction and performances of the lead cast, including those of Mescal and Washington. The film was also praised for its technical aspects, with many describing it as an epic spectacle.
The early reactions are a welcome sign for the highly anticipated sequel, especially following the debacle surrounding its first trailer and its music, which suggested it might turn out to be a disaster. However, whether the early hype translates to commercial success remains to be seen as the film is currently projected to gross $53-75 million and is expected to finish second at the box office in its first weekend.
Gladiator 2 is slated to release in the United States on November 22, 2024.
