GLADIATOR II
One of the most thrilling big screen adventures of 2024 was Gladiator II from director Ridley Scott. It was great to be back in that world 24 years after the original film came out. Paramount Home Entertainment has released the sequel on 4K, Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital. I was able to get my hands on the 4K SteelBook edition, and it is gorgeous! I love the image of Paul Mescal as Lucius front and center and ready for battle. This is a 3-Disc set with 4K, Blu-Ray, and a Special Features discs.
In the first film, we saw Maximus and Lucilla’s young son, Lucious, sent off to live in hiding as a mode of protection and survival. He’s now grown up and played by Paul Mescal who finds his city and people under attack by the Roman empire. His wife is killed under the command of Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). This sets up this story of revenge for Lucious. His skills in the gladiator ring fighting wild beasts makes him a hot commodity, and he’s sold off to be a slave under Macrinus (Denzel Washington). Macrinus knows the fall of Roman empire is imminent, as he plots his next few moves against Emperor Geta ( Joseph Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). They’re a pair of mischievous and immature twins who hold too much power in Rome. Connie Nielson is one of the few original cast members who returns for the sequel.
The new release is loaded with special features diving into making this film from the costuming, to the production designs, and Ridley Scott’s thoughts on the casting process. It’s really rewarding to watch a master like Ridley Scott in action.
SPECIAL FEATURES per the official press release
- A Dream That Was Rome: Origins—Director Ridley Scott and producers delve into the history behind Gladiator II and how the story developed over many years before coming to the screen.
- What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity: The Cast—Take an inside look into Ridley Scott’s casting process.
- In The Arena: Filmmakers—Go behind the scenes as the cast and crew journey to Malta, Morocco, and the UK for the epic production.
- To Those About To Die, We Salute You: Combat—Discover howRidley Scott and his team combined choreographed combat with cutting-edge visual effects to take the action to a whole new level.
- Building An Empire: Post-Production—Join the filmmakers for insights into the fascinating process of crafting the finished movie, which includes a scoring session led by composer Harry Gregson-Williams.
- The Making Of Gladiator II—Explore how Ridley Scott, the cast, and crew worked to bring Gladiator II to life.
- Deleted Scenes
Here’s a TikTok I created diving in!
Here’s my original review
