Film Review — Gladiator II

There’s plenty of action and spectacle, and Denzel Washington is fun, but don’t expect depth in Ridley Scott’s contrived sequel

Credit: Paramount

Ridley Scott’s original Gladiator (2000) was a major critical and commercial success, winning a clutch of Oscars, including Best Picture (though missing out on Best Director). Was a sequel necessary? Of course not. At least, not for any good artistic reason. Yet here we are. With Scott back at the directorial helm is Gladiator II (or “G…