I had a great time with Gladiator 2, and my cinema experience as a whole was a positive one because of its action sequences, great performances and fantastic music.

However, this movie did not convince me that a sequel was a good idea, and it certainly wasn’t needed.
It failed at times to create its own identity, and it felt like the more the film progressed, the more it relied on its predecessor.

The first half an hour was very, very similar to the opening of the first film, while it felt like Lucius was pretty much just reliving the life and experiences that Russell Crowe’s Maximus had been through himself.

It was always going to be difficult to come up with a sequel, and there are still differing aspects to Gladiator 2, but it did feel like it lacked originality.

However, Paul Mescal was absolutely outstanding. I was unsure about his casting at first, and I wasn’t sure if he was being chucked-in at the deep end with a blockbuster like this, but he stole the show.

The raw emotion and passion he portrayed through his hatred and then belief in the Roman Empire was incredible. It’s not easy to follow in the footsteps of Russell Crowe, but I truly believe that Mescal is set to become the next big thing in Hollywood - he has it all.

Meanwhile, what is there to say about Denzel Washington? Has he ever put in a bad performance? He seems to steal every scene he’s in, and his menace and scorn for others in the latter part of the film was a sight to behold.

The action sequences were great, including a certain scene at the beginning of the film where Lucius (Mescal) takes on what appears to be some sort of aboriginal monkey - the CGI was great and it was certainly a standout scene.

The film’s score from Harry Gregson-Williams was also a huge positive. Much like Mescal taking on the mantle of the lead performance from Crowe, Gregson-Williams uses aspects of Hans Zimmer’s score from the 2000 film to create a soundtrack that accompanies the film really well.

All in all, I think there are parts of Gladiator 2 which suffered and the dialogue sometimes left a lot to be desired.

Regardless, with the cast involved and the quality of the action sequences, as well as the narrative holding its own and not being too far-fetched, I had a very positive time with the movie. It’s definitely one that I’d love to see again.

I still don’t think a sequel was needed, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It was good fun!

Gladiator 2 is now showing at the Palace Cinema in Douglas and will also be shown at Broadway Cinema in the Villa Marina for a week from November 29 to December 5.