Warning: the following text contains spoilers from the movie “Gladiator 2”
“What we do in life echoes in eternity”. Maximus’ (Russell Crowe) emblematic phrase in the opening scene of “Gladiator” (2000) is the guide for the sequence, which hits Brazilian cinemas this Thursday (14).
Set 16 years after the first film, “Gladiator 2” brings its own story to the big screen, exploring and introducing new characters, while trying to honor and rescue the memory of the original.
CNN has already seen the film and lists the main points of Ridley Scott’s epic below. See what to expect from the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning 2000 title.
Just like the first film, “Gladiator 2” begins with an epic battle – well described by protagonist Paul Mescal as ““. The first minutes already demonstrate the grandeur that the audience will experience over the next two hours – a visual and sound immersion that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
The plot centers on Lucius (Paul Mescal), son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who becomes the legitimate heir to the throne after the death of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). As a child, his mother sent him to a region in North Africa called Numibia, where he grew up and began to live as a barbarian.
The protagonist is forcibly taken to Rome after the region is conquered by an army from the Roman Empire led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). He catches the attention of the mercenary Macrinus (Denzel Washington) and becomes the “lord of gladiators” biggest bet, leading a group in the games at the Coliseum.
In the arena where he saw Maximus and Commodus die, Lucius has a big revelation about his past as he fights to survive. Outside, Lucilla, Marcus Acacius and the senators plan a coup against Emperors Geta and Caracalla. Macrinus is also responsible for articulating things inside and outside the Coliseum.
The film explores more stories beyond the main one, expanding the nuances of the plot, unlike the first film, which focused exclusively on the main plot. They add more layers to the story and characters.
Lucius has a similar arc to Maximus’, but manages to get out of it, telling his own story – already highlighted by Denzel that Mescal creates ““. He is more animalistic and less sophisticated than Crowe’s gladiator, but as angry and silent as the Roman hero.
The Oscar-nominated Irish actor presents a new layer in “Gladiator 2”different from what fans are used to seeing in their dramas like “” and “” and presented to a new audience.
The highlight of the film, however, is Denzel Washingtonwith an assertive, complex and magnetic antagonist. Despite being a supporting character on paper, the character has as much relevance – and screen time – as the protagonist. Macrinus is ambitious and intelligent and goes beyond a caricatured villain.
Connie Nielsen It has its function in the plot, but it serves more as a link between the first and second films. Flashbacks, references and mentions of the original are constant throughout the plot, rescuing the memory of the film that won five Oscar statuettes in 2001.
The rescue of the first film does not only happen in the memories, but also in the grandeur of the production. Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe have already said that some of the ideas put into practice in “Gladiator 2” They were thought of decades ago, but at the time, they were not viable. Now, “Gladiator 2” explore more of Ancient Rome, fill the Colosseum with water and pit humans against animals.
Watch the trailer for “Gladiator 2”
