Monday 4/29/2024
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“My name is Máximo Decimus Meridio. Commander of the Northern armies. General of the legions Felix. Loyal servant of the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father of a murdered son, husband of a murdered woman. And I will get my revenge in this life or the next.” In May 2000, “Gladiator” was released, in which director Ridley Scott redirected the premises of the “peplum” (films set in ancient times) into an epic masterpiece in which a Roman soldier, enslaved and destined to fight for his life in the Circus, ends up bringing an empire to its knees.
A quarter of a century later, Scott himself has everything ready for the continuation of that classic, which raises as many expectations as it raises questions. What are the details of this new installment, which will hit theaters in November? Until now, trailers have been released that are attractive and promising. The sequel focuses on Lucius, the son of Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen in the first installment). Played by Paul Mescal, he undertakes a more complex journey even than that of Máximo himself, but with a similar premise, which is to question tyranny.
Paramount Pictures
Ridley Scott hinted that this sequel could, in some aspects, even surpass its predecessor, which won the Oscar for Best Picture at the time. With a scale unimaginable even by Hollywood standards, “Gladiator 2” had a budget three times larger than that of the original film, which climbed to $100 million. Specialized sites point out that Scott and his team achieved a monumental production, but at a cost that exceeded 310 million dollars.
Paramount Pictures
“The time of honoring yourself will soon come to an end,” Maximus told the villain Lucius Aurelius Commodus in the 2000 film. Now, in the second part, Caracalla appears as a tyrannical emperor whose ascension to the throne triggers a series of events that will test the characters. The struggle for power and family conspiracies once again form the backdrop of the story, adding political intrigue to the story. At this point there is also an echo of “Gladiator,” when he describes Rome as a “fragile dream,” which, as a result of ferocious internal politics and tyranny, could barely be whispered so as not to fade away.
In addition to the characters viewers are already familiar with, there will be new faces. Pedro Pascal plays a Roman general turned gladiator, while Denzel Washington plays a former gladiator. These characters will add complexity and action to the plot.
The specialized press, which attended private viewings of the official trailers, point out that the fights in the “arena”, in addition to gladiators, include rhinos, baboons and even sharks. While a voice-over assures: “Rome must fall. I just have to give it a little push.” In this sense, there seems to be a continuity of that famous phrase uttered, in the first installment, by the gladiator trainer played by Oliver Reed. “I wasn’t the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. “Win the crowd and you will win your freedom.”
Paramount Pictures
With renowned actors, an experienced director and a juicy budget, “Gladiator 2” has all the necessary chips to be a high-caliber cinematic experience. Can this sequel live up to its monumental predecessor? Time will tell. But one thing is certain: the spirit of Maximus will be present in this new installment, to once again transport the viewer inside the Roman Empire and its epic battles for power.
