FILM -GLADIATOR II- FILLS : REVIEW HONOURS

The arena roars again. Ridley Scott ignites Roman-like bloodlust in audiences with '' Gladiator II.''

It is said that the Roman Empire crosses the minds of the average male at least once a day. 

Clearly, this is true for Ridley Scott, as he has returned with a sequel that not only honours its predecessor but also expands on the formula that won five Oscars nearly a quarter century ago.

Gladiator II emerges as a worthy successor, rich in ambition and ruthless in its action.

At the heart of the sequel lies the continuation of a legacy. Paul Mescal [ Normal People ] steps into the sandals of Lucius, the young boy whisked away to safety in the first film.

Now a man, we find Lucius commanding armies in Northern Africa against Roman invaders.

The Snake in Rome's garden :

Scott has injected new blood into the franchise with Denzel Washington playing Macrinus, a slippery political manipulator whose motivations remain tantalisingly ambiguous.

Washington draws on his Shakespearean roots to craft a character who is both despicable and utterly magnetic - a wild card whose unpredictability keeps the audience hooked.

Alongside him are Fred Hechinger and Joseph Quinn as the tottering, quixotic twin-emperors Caracalla and Geta, whose shared reign represents the rotten core of the Roman elite.

Their performances are enjoyable, though neither rivals Joaquin phoenix's iconic turn as Commodus in the original film.

As expected they ramped up the spectacle in this sequel, aiming to please the Roman like bloodlust of audiences with sharks in the colosseum and rhinos being ridden like steeds.

'' Are you not entertained ?'' bellowed Crowe in the first film over dead bodies. How could we not be?

Scott has always known how to serve up a Roman banquet sized action sequence, and the advancement of CGI has made those elaborate spectacles less plausible, yet equally riveting.

The World Students Society thanks Mahnoor Vazir.