You’ll know exactly when Gladiator II jumps the shark. It’s the scene involving an actual shark.
There are bad movies that are entertaining and bad movies that are a drag, and I wish I could tell you which one this unasked-for sequel to the best-picture-winning 2000 film is. The truth is, it’s both.
Set 16 years after Gladiator and featuring whichever of the original cast aren’t dead or unbribable, the new film has all the opulence of the first film but none of the majesty. It’s an epic without a purpose and therefore fine for a lazy Sunday streaming in a few months. After that, Gladiator II will find its true purpose playing on multiple screens in the TV aisle at Costco.
Ridley Scott, whose recent career has consisted of turning over the bones of his earlier hits, has mounted this production with flair, a grandiose digital re-creation of ancient Rome and a disregard for historical accuracy that is at times hilarious. When one character sits down at a sidewalk cafe to read the nonexistent Daily Papyrus over his morning coffee - a beverage that won’t arrive in Europe for another 1,500 years - the only response is an indulgent horselaugh and disappointment that they didn’t just go ahead and give him an iPad.
