Over in the USA, last Friday, Nov. 22, saw the openings of Gladiator II and Wicked, as the two blockbusters attempted to replicate the Barbie-Oppenheimer phenomenon of last year. 

Here in the Philippines, Gladiator was the ‘gentleman’, giving way to Wicked and smartly pursuing its box office surge come Dec. 4. It was a wise move, as we know that more often than not, it’s the women deciding what movie to watch. And sure enough, in the USA, while both films opened strong, Wicked was the clear front-runner.

This is not to say that Gladiator will not have women in its audience. The 2000 Russell Crowe is still a strong draw on streaming platforms; when women are ready to concede that action films can also have a beating heart and make us misty-eyed. And while the talks of a sequel had been circulating for years, it is good to have Director Ridley Scott back, at 86 years of age, fresh from his Napoleon film - and once again dusting off his scabbard with his take on the Roman Empire.

The main protagonist this time out is Lucius (Paul Mescal), grandson of Marcus Aurelius, and the events take place some 16 years after the events of the first film when Maximus (Russell Crowe) dies. Count ourselves lucky that we don’t get something akin to a resurrection. But I must admit we get beats and tropes that feel like the first film but with a new set of faces.

The wife of Lucius is killed, just like what happened with Maximus. The rulers of Rome here are Geta and Caracalla, who are historical figures. And there are Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Senator Gracchus (Sir Derek Jacobi) back from the first film. But Lucilla is now the wife of General Marcus (Pedro Pascal), and he has a role in the fate that befalls the family of Lucius.

The real, larger-than-life new character would be the historical figure of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a perpetually scheming slavemaster and Mr. Opportunity. If there is a constant scene stealer in this film, it would be Denzel and his gleeful portrayal of this double-dealing character.

As I mentioned, the notes from this film are much too similar to the first. But thankfully, Scott is out to have fun and pull as many trucks as possible from his proverbial director’s cap and chair. Baboons, a rhino, sharks, severed limbs, courtly intrigues, family issues, and perpetual double-crossing - Ridley Scott seems ready to throw everything in the mix, historical accuracy be damned, and have us enjoy the spectacle!

So Dec. 4 is the date, and it is best to catch this on an SM IMAX screen - how often will we watch sharks in Rome’s Colosseum?