Early in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, the sequel to the 2001 Best Picture winner Gladiator, Macrinus (Denzel Washington), master of the gladiators, declares that “violence is the universal language.” In his eyes exploiting rage in others is not only key to creating champions in the Colosseum, but also a cunning tactic in the fight to gain political influence.

The quest for power is an unquenchable thirst that is draining Rome dry in Scott’s film. Set 16 years after former Roman general-turned-gladiator Maximus asked for political reform, the city has fallen back into its old ways. Now ruled by Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), twin brothers who have an insatiable appetite for violence and entertainment, Rome’s desire to conquer the globe has brought pain and suffering at home and abroad.

Sitting comfortably in their ivory palaces, the twin’s white garments remain unsoiled by the copious amount of blood that others spill on their behalf.

One of those individuals is famed army general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who is growing tired of all the bloodshed. Longing for a version of Rome where he can live in peace with the love of his life Lucilla (Connie Nielson), the daughter of the late Maximus, Marcus is secretly working with the senate to stage a coup on the last day of the Gladiator Games.

Unbeknownst to Marcus, an unexpected variable is about to throw off his calculations. Lucius (Paul Mescal), a soldier-turned-slave from Numida, once the last Roman hold out in Africa, has his sights set on revenge after the general killed his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) in battle. Promised by Macrinus that he will get him close to Marcus, if he wins enough gladiator matches in the arena, Lucius partakes in a series of grueling battles that could impact the fate of Rome as a whole.

It is in the arena where Gladiator II has no shortage of entertainment. As Lucius works his way up the ranks, taking on everything from rabid baboons to a foe riding a giant rhinoceros, Scott’s film fully indulges in the action spectacle that made the original film a blockbuster hit.

Gladiator II may tap into the brutal violence of the era but has little to say about it aside from those in power exploit the lower class for entertainment.

Similar to his 2023 film Napoleon, Scott presents his tyrants as nothing more than decadent buffoons. Geta and Caracalla, the latter of whom is a volatile man-child who cares more for his pet monkey than his own brother, are caricatures of villains. The twins offer no substantial commentary on how violence and politics have shared an incestuous dance for centuries. Even Marcus, who at least shows some empathy to the plight of the people conquered by Rome, lacks clarity on how his well-intentioned plans for insurrection will actual help those whose lives he has ruined.

The only one who fully understands the ways bloodshed and fear have influenced politics for centuries is Macrinus. Observing Marcinus manipulate his way up the ladder of power brings much needed weight to Lucius’s otherwise predictable journey. The cunning moves by the master of gladiators almost makes the audience forget the overall choppiness of the film’s plot.

Take away Marcinus and Lucius’s quest is essentially a bland redux the original’s plot. The scale of the film may feel grand, but Gladiator II is rather hollow inside. Relying heavily on past glory, rather than charting its own unique way, Scott’s film entertains in spurts but swiftly leaves one’s mind once you exit the arena.