Historical discrepancies aside, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator franchise began with a portrayal of the Roman Empire centered on power struggles, betrayal, and revenge. Met with mostly praise from fans and critics, the film was lauded as compelling and enjoyable. Now, 24 years later, Scott returns with a new, all-star cast to continue the story of those very same power struggles. Gladiator II sees Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus Aurelius under the alias “Hanno” on a quest to get revenge for the murder of his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen).

To believe in (and enjoy) Gladiator II is to suspend all knowledge on the Roman Empire and ignore everything about great storytelling… I simply cannot do it. While teetering on the lines of greatness, the historical action film seemingly fails to connect its 2-3 plotlines. Additionally, the film doesn’t set its actors up for success when it comes to delivering a truly entertaining body of work. In all fairness, they do their best. Yet, the glaring issues far surpass its suppressed potential, earning the title of one of the most disappointing films in 2024 for me.

Gladiator II begins with a bang of problems.

The story begins 16 years after the death of Marcus Aurelius. Rome, now under the leadership of the corrupt emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), is continuing their invasions of various cities under General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) and his army. In the opening battle sequence, we’re introduced to the familiarity of Roman war when Acacius leads his soldiers into battle. Unfortunately, this is when the film already showcases its long list of problems.

In this battle, things begin to swing in the locals’ favor when Arishat leads her archery team to take down soldiers. When Acacius recognizes this, he no longer maintains his spectator stance, throws off his helmet, and charges into combat to eliminate the archers. Yes, it’s as silly as it sounds: a high-ranked general avoids flying arrows without his protective gear to take down a plethora of skilled archers! I knew right then and there that the remaining 130 minutes would feel excruciating.

One major casting choice is a contributor of Gladiator’s outcome.

Acacius returns home victorious to his wife Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen (who’s probably the best thing about this dreadful movie) with new slaves to advertise as potential gladiators. Insert Denzel Washington’s Macrinus, a former slave who earned his freedom as a gladiator, with an insatiable lust for power. He takes Lucius “Hanno” under his wing, promising the chance to take revenge on whomever is responsible for his anger. By and large, the storylines had great potential. In execution, so much of what we received as a final product is nonsense and utterly disappointing.

For one—and I truly hate to say this—the role of Lucius was miscast. Paul Mescal is a wildly talented actor. His nominations and awards for his roles in TV and films like Normal People (2020) and Aftersun (2022) are so incredibly deserved. In Gladiator II, however, I felt unconvinced by his performance. To be frank, he seemed a bit uninterested in delivering the raw emotion that was needed. A lack of snark with certain line deliveries and no power to his speech led me to feel underwhelmed. On the flip side, the physicality and machismo were certainly there. You can tell he put in huge effort physically to embody his gladiator build.

Scott’s action sequel suffers from several issues that limit its potential.

I can’t in good conscience criticize Mescal too harshly, however, because his support system seemed nonexistent. Specifically, when he had to make a grandiose speech to fellow gladiators, one would expect the accompanying dialogue and score to be epic and emotionally appealing. Yet, the material just isn’t there for him to exercise his talents and range. In reality, he’s not given much to do besides channel extreme anger, leaving his performance to feel one-tracked with a lack of nuance. Even during sequences that require him to tap into other emotions are brushed aside and rushed. Other performances are fine, with Pascal and Washington seemingly having a modicum of fun.

When it’s all said and done, Gladiator II had major potential under Ridley Scott’s direction. We’ve come to almost expect it from the acclaimed director. This? This feels like a colossal disaster that relied on the merits and hype of its predecessor without actual execution.

Sure, the gladiator fights are exciting and are paced well. However, the screenplay lacks the substance to properly conjoin all its storylines to a film that is equally meaningful and entertaining. Additionally, the technical support and script fail its actors, resulting in performances that are mediocre at best. There’s a good movie here somewhere. But when the lazy liberties taken with the history destroy good storytelling in the process, the film, actors, and audience all suffer for it.

Check out the final trailer of Gladiator II, in theaters now!