Sixteen years after the events of Gladiator (2000), Lucius (Paul Mescal) lives with his wife in Numidia. Soon, soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) capture the city for the glory of Rome. Once sent to Rome, Lucius is bought by the scheming Macrinus (Denzel Washington) to become one of his gladiators!

The sword-and-sandal blockbuster became a Hollywood staple with The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959) and Spartacus (1960); a low-status muscle-bound protagonist would lead a sprawling, rousing adventure against great odds in a historical epic set in the Greco-Roman antiquity. Amidst comic book heroes, space opera and fantasy adventures, Gladiator struck a chord with audiences, making Russell Crowe an A-lister and ensuring the ongoing strength of the genre.

After 20 years and many drafts looking at resurrecting the character of Maximus, Gladiator II instead chooses to go the way of the legacy sequel, being a quasi-remake. Following the adage of repeating what worked before, Mescal’s character is again a soldier turned gladiator who must work to free Rome from the leadership of yet another maniac. While Washington gives a fun, scenery-chewing performance, and the battles have levelled up in terms of spectacle, the entire exercise is a retread of what has come before. The movie also undermines itself by interspersing archival footage of the original throughout, reminding us of how great the first movie was and how Russell Crowe was THE Gladiator.

Verdict: A good-looking, action-packed but overstuffed retread. Fans of the original may either appreciate it or be disappointed by it. 3 stars.

Luke McWilliams, themovieclub.net. Viewed at Dendy Cinemas.