Ridley Scott’s Best Directorial Effort Since Black Hawk Down- Denzel Washington Getting a 3rd Oscar For Gladiator 2 Doesn’t Sound Crazy as the Movie Gets All the Praises

SUMMARY

• Gladiator 2 is a hotly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott's critically acclaimed 2000 movie which was a critical and commercial success.
• Gladiator 2's first screening resulted in positive early reactions with critics calling it Scott's best recent film since Black Hawk Down.
• The sequel was also praised for its performances, mainly that of Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, deeming the latter worthy of an Oscar.

Gladiator 2 is a sequel to director Ridley Scott’s critically acclaimed 2000 film with Paul Mescal taking over the lead role. The epic historical action film follows the story of Lucius Verus, the son of Maximus as he is captured by the Roman forces and forced to fight as a Gladiator to seek his freedom and overthrow the empire.

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 held its first screening (Credit: Paramount Pictures).

The much-anticipated film recently held a screening for the press with early reactions to it cropping up on the internet. The initial reactions are extremely positive with several viewers who saw the movie at the screening praising it as one of Ridley Scott’s best works in recent times. Here is what the first reactions to Gladiator 2 reveal about the sequel’s quality.

Early Reactions Praise Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 as an Oscar-Worthy Spectacle

Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott was released in 2000 and set the gold standard for historical action films, emerging as a critical and commercial success. After almost two decades, Scott is returning with a sequel that is slated to release next month.

First reactions to Gladiator 2 are extremely positive (Credit: Paramount Pictures).

The upcoming Gladiator 2 was recently screened in Los Angeles in front of an audience of AMPAS and SAG voters. Following the screening, first reactions to the movie have surfaced online and they have been nothing but overwhelmingly positive for the Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington-led second installment.

On X (formerly Twitter), Clayton Davis of Variety shared his reaction to the movie praising Scott for his direction, calling it the director’s best work since Black Hawk Down. You can check out Davis’ full comments about the sequel below.

Furthermore, Davis added that the film was powered by brilliant performances, highlighting Denzel Washington as one of the standout actors. He described it as one of Washington’s most killer roles yet, suggesting that the actor could be in contention to win an Academy Award for his performance simply based on first impression.

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 Receives Praise For Action and Performances

Denzel Washington’s performance in Gladiator 2 received praise (Credit: Paramount Pictures).

Davis wasn’t the only one to praise the film, as several others who attended the screening shared similar reactions on social media. Here is what some of the other viewers had to say about Gladiator 2 on X.

As the tweets suggest, the movie is receiving extremely positive reactions with praise for Scott’s direction and performances of the lead cast, including those of Mescal and Washington. The film was also praised for its technical aspects, with many describing it as an epic spectacle.

The early reactions are a welcome sign for the highly anticipated sequel, especially following the debacle surrounding its first trailer and its music, which suggested it might turn out to be a disaster. However, whether the early hype translates to commercial success remains to be seen as the film is currently projected to gross $53-75 million and is expected to finish second at the box office in its first weekend.

Gladiator 2 is slated to release in the United States on November 22, 2024.

Written by Pratik Handore

Articles Published: 891

Pratik is a writer at FandomWire, with a content writing experience of five years. Although he has a Bachelors in Hospitality, his fascination with all things pop culture led him to writing articles on a variety of topics ranging from latest streaming releases to unheard movie trivia. When not writing, you can find him reading manga, or watching classic TV shows.