Title: Gladiator II (2024) Director: Ridley Scott Genre(s): Action, Adventure Rating: MA Duration: 2hrs 28mins Stars: Paul Mescal ∙ Denzel Washington ∙ Pedro Pascal ∙ Connie Nielsen “A gripping tale of how corruption can lead to societal collapse.” After his home is conquered by tyrannical emperors of Rome, Lucius (Paul Mescal) must fight as a gladiator in the Colosseum to survive. Although Gladiator II centers on Lucius getting revenge on his enemies, the film also carries heavy themes on colonization, corruption and its side effects. It demonstrates the palpable truth of how depravity within an empire can cause systemic and societal collapse leading to the possible end of even a powerful civilization. Denzel Washington’s character Macrinus, one of the villains in the story, is crafted in a way that makes it difficult to determine your stance – whether it be with the Romans or with the rebels. A captive from an African country who was sold into servitude with nothing and later rose to power, eventually ending the corrupt emperors’ tyranny, makes you want to root for him. However, he himself is not immune to corruption as demonstrated in the film. Macrinus’ deceitful methods of getting himself an influential position makes him no better than the depraved leaders running the empire. Additionally, Macrinus’ is a representation of the aftermath of colonization. When he finally gets ultimate control over the city’s affairs, he now has to deal with the chaos that ensues as a result of the former leaders’ corrupt rule as well as his own depravity – a striking image of the present-day situation of country’s who were once under colonial rule. No words need to be spoken about the movie’s rating, as the depiction of war, violence and brutality definitely earns its rating for matured audiences only. Audiences who did not watch the first instalment of Gladiator, may find it difficult to connect the story, otherwise director Ridley Scott has not fallen short of delivering a spectacular sequel to the beloved film.