Gladiator 2

It is always difficult to make a sequel to a great movie like Gladiator, which amazingly came out 24 years ago, and was highly rated and reviewed.  This movie is more of a spectacle than the first one, and it includes a sea battle in the Roman colosseum.  Yes, there is a good deal of gore in this R rated film but there is also a lot of story and intrigue in this movie.  It is set during the reign of a really brutal pair of brother rulers in the third century– Geta and Caracalla so 211-226 or so.  And there are ongoing references to Marcus Aurelius the good Stoic emperor of the second century.  And yes, there are references to the fictional gladiator named Maximus who was played by Russell Crowe in the first gladiator movie.

So the fictional plot focuses on the daughter of Marcus Aurelius namely Lucilla, and her son Lucius, who was sent away by her to save his life during the end of the second century.  He does not know he is the son of Maximus having grown up in the deserts of Numidia.  The story then progresses when Lucius is taken prisoner ironically by a general who is Lucilla’s current husband and brought back to Rome to be trained as a gladiator.  But the real star turn in this 2 hour and 28 movie is given by Denzel Washington who plays a gladiator owner and trainer named Macrinus. He is simply brilliant in this film, and fully deserves the kudos he’s getting for the role he plays.   Here are a couple of trailers to give you a taste of the film….  Gladiator fights, as a blood sport is something the Romans invented to add to the Greek style Olympic games.