Why So Blu?

Gladiator II (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Nearly 25 years passed between the releases of Gladiator and Gladiator II. Between releases I know I wasn’t the only one hearing rumors of a sequel and wondering: “What the hell could they possibly need to dig up to make another movie about??” But here we are at the home release of Gladiator II. A few months after the theatrical release, after the reveal of a massively talented and famous cast and mixed to positive reviews not unlike the original film, we have a new release on 4K and Blu-ray.  I will come out right away and say it – Gladiator II more than delivers, and you can read more about that now! As Maximus Meridius once asked, “Are you not entertained?” I was with this new installment, and the presentation is: Chef’s Kiss…

Film

Set 15 years after the events of the original Gladiator, the next chapter in the epic story of Roman excitement focuses on “Hanno” (Paul Mescal), a soldier from Numidia, who has just lost his wife amid a battle after his homeland is conquered by Rome’s corrupt twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and their General Acacius (Pedro Pascal).

 At the conquering, it is noticeable that Acacius is clearly shaken and sickened by the work he is doing and upon returning home with captured men from Numidia, “Hanno” included, he is showered with praise from the emperors.  They now want Acacius and his army to go off and conquer Persia and India, despite his pleas to stay in Rome with his wife. They refuse.

Acacius returns to his wife Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) who we remember as Maximus’ lover and mother of his child Lucius who she had to send away after Maximus’ and her father’s deaths as he was the heir to the throne. Lucilla and Acacius have ideas to overturn the emperors’ reign but must first define their plan and find allies within Rome. While the pair are planning their own mutiny, “Hanno” is proving himself in Ostia. Along with the other prisoners, “Hanno” competes in a fight against monkeys, fighting savagely to survive and impressing Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a handler who purchases him.

After the purchase, “Hanno” is hand-picked by Macrinus to rise through the ranks to become a famous gladiator, fighting at the coliseum and winning over the crowd, bringing fame to Macrinus. As the combat goes on at the coliseum, We see “Hanno’s” desire to conquer each battle but also to get up those battle ranks to face off against Acacius who killed his wife.  The spoils of the war have hardened “Hanno” and he is ruthless in his desire to see Acacius fall at his hand.

There are some major plot points that cannot be discussed here without spoiling the film for those who haven’t seen it, and therefore I am laying this out there for those who haven’t seen it to please skip ahead to the technical section of the review to avoid ruining your experience. For those who have seen the film, read on…

Watching the battles in the coliseum and knowing of “Hanno’s” ruthlessness in fighting, Lucilla feels a connection and is visibly shaken by the events in front of her.  In flashback, we are reminded of Lucilla sending Lucius away following Maximus’ death, and of how Lucius ended up in Africa, where “Hanno” ended up where our story began.  We learn that “Hanno” is Lucius, and he is filled with contempt returning to the place he once called home.

Upon learning that Acacius is now his stepfather, he is even more fired up about facing him in battle, and following an epic naval battle involving ships, sharks and so much death, the wish is nearer than ever.  But of course, Macrinus wants more than to just give Lucius his wish of meeting Acacius for a fight to the death.  He wants Rome for himself and turns against those he wishes to rub elbows with.  When he corrupts the twin emperors and overtakes the richest Roman citizen, he becomes an unstoppable force that can only be stopped by Lucius and whoever he can get to believe his true identity.

Gladiator II follows up the first film with a very creative opening.  The film opens with a brief animated sequence going over the first film with plenty of detail for newcomers unsure of what went on in the beginning.  Next, we are treated to Ridley Scott’s visual flare.  He has still got an eye for stunning vistas, beautiful locations and ways to use visual effects so effectively.  He outfits the cast with wonderful motivation, so their performances just work! Despite his elevated age, Ridley Scott has delivered on all levels here.

The cast is another highlight here. Paul Mescal as Hanno/Lucius is fantastic.  His imposing figure and quiet rage are fantastic, while Pedro Pascal’s reserved general with great legs is the epitome of regretful soldier. Denzel Washington embodies the ultimate villain in the film starting off commanding with that signature walk before walking away with the film in the second half.  Connie Nielsen looking ageless after 25 years is quiet and graceful here.  Twin emperors Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger look sickly, pale, fey and are pitch perfect as the bratty figureheads of Rome.

Let’s talk about the look too.  The original Gladiator is a masterclass of visual style and visual effects being seamless with the practical.  His camera movements and his pacing are still fabulous and his thoughts on scale are always so wonderfully realized on screen.  While he may have better films released before this one, this most modern release looks incredible, and the visual flare is there in abundance.  You’re never wanting more here.  The battles and fights are all fantastic to watch.

The score by Henry Gregson-Williams is a nice substitute for Hans Zimmer’s original with his theme playing over the closing credits and end scene paying tribute to the original. And speaking of tributes, that is what the film feels like to me – A tribute.  The film doesn’t feel original and that’s OK.  It’s a tribute to other films in its vein.  A very good tribute too!

If I had one criticism, it would be that there are a few too many things that are recycled from the original Gladiator.  As I was going over the bonus features, that does seem like artist intent, so therefore I can’t really complain.  Thinking about it after watching the film, I was thoroughly entertained, sucked into the world Scott and his talented cast and crew created and would only have loved to spend more time watching things unfold had there been more to offer, so in that case, Gladiator II is a success!

Video

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 2160p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

HDR: Dolby Vision

Layers: BD-100

Clarity/Detail: Gladiator II comes home on 4K UHD Blu-ray with a triple layered disc giving the image plenty of room and bitrate for all the imagery to really pop.  And does it ever! The film looks exceptional here, filmed digitally and lovingly transferred.  Locations and sets have lovely texture and color, with hair, makeup and even wounds having fully detailed looks throughout.

Depth: Depth of field is flawless throughout, with fluid movement and excellent panning.  Softness is not in attendance here and foreground and background get equal attention in all shots. Focus is flawless as well.

Black Levels: Black levels help in more shadowy moments with nothing looking so dark we can’t see and blacks looking so deep that they seem infinite.

Color Reproduction: Colors are vibrant with beautiful ocean blues and fiery reds coming to play with purples and greens as well as sandy beige and marble white.  There is no color left unused in Ridley’s crayon box, and they all pop off the screen.

Flesh Tones: Flesh tones are perfect, and makeup effects from leper lesions to wounds to sweat beads only compliment things.

Noise/Artifacts: Flawless.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, French (Parisian) Dolby Atmos, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Audio Description

Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Dynamics: This is what we want when we collectors say we want Atmos mixes.  Loud, in your face, immersive and dynamic as hell.  Crowds are right in your living room.  Punches hit your face.  Monkeys and sharks and rhinos charge at you.  Macrinus gives his speeches to you… This mix is exceptional!

Height: Height speakers open the room to make you feel the atmosphere of the outdoors.  In the opening, you hear the boats approaching in Africa and the waves and rowers fill the sound stage up top.  Next, we hear the roaring fans of the coliseum or the small, stunned crowd watching a fight at a party as the room is destroyed around them.  The same sounds do come down to the lower channels too but the work they do in tandem is extraordinary.

Low Frequency Extension: Bass plays for music and battles and smaller fights regularly.  Since there are so many moments, it’s hard to just name a few, and that’s a good thing.  This is a great film to show off your system with!

Surround Sound Presentation: Armies, raucous audiences, bustling crowds, townspeople gathering, water spraying, arrows flying, flames engulfing buildings… busy surrounds spend the runtime working to fill the room with sound along with the height and L/R speakers.

Dialogue: Dialogue sounds excellent from whichever speaker is hails from. Coliseum echo is amazing!

Extras

The bonus features here are like the 2-disc DVD set for the original film. This gives you plenty to immerse yourself in the world of GII. Deep dive into the creation of the film, along with deleted scenes! The release comes in a standard slipcover release and a glossy steelbook that calls back to the Gladiator steelbook!

Bonus Features:

• A Dream That Was Rome: Origins—Director Ridley Scott and producers delve into the history behind Gladiator IIand 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 how Ridley 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

Summary

Gladiator II is an excellent follow-up to an excellent film.  It’s fun, fast despite the runtime and extremely entertaining.  I loved the cast and the look. The cast, crew and writers re-used the original story and made it feel new again.  While it may not feel original, I was beyond entertained. Now, I cannot wait to re-watch the movie. And not just for Paul Mescal or Pedro Pascal’s legs and butts! This is a reference grade 4K disc, and a no-brainer purchase for 4K collectors and fans of Ridley Scott alike.

*NOTE: My review copy did encounter several issues during playback.These seem to have affected some other review copies as well.  I have reached out to Paramount regarding this. I will follow up should I receive any follow-up regarding any information about this.

Buy your copy of Gladiator II Standard HERE

Buy the Gladiator II Steelbook HERE