Aren’t you entertained by this year’s exciting and unpredictable Oscar race? Well, you should be because Ridley Scott’s epic and possibly blockbuster sequel “Gladiator II” exploded onto the scene after its first screening in Los Angeles in front of an audience of AMPAS and SAG voters.
The long-awaited sequel to best picture winner “Gladiator” (2000) is igniting the spark that Scott, its three-time Oscar-nominated director, is working to win his coveted Oscar. Additionally, its stars Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington are currently competitors in their respective performance races.
After receiving his first Oscar nomination for best actor for “Aftersun” (2022), Mescal may find himself in the category again for his leading role in “Gladiator II”. Meanwhile, Washington, who already has two acting Oscars, could end up competing for a third, likely joining a short list of three acting winners, including Frances McDormand, Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis. . Washington will compete in the supporting actor race.
Learn: You can see all the Oscar predictions in all 23 categories on one page on Selection Awards Circuit.
Many of the first reactions from attendees at the first screening in Los Angeles were constructive.
OffScreenCentral’s Jillian Chilingerian wrote, “Record Denzel Washington’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar title for GLADIATOR 2 at this event.”
KTLA contributor Scott Mantz called the film “an epic sequel,” further stating that it has “good action, wonderful visual effects, stellar performances across the board.”
“’Gladiator II’ offers the richest feast of epic action set pieces and deliciously salacious betrayal,” wrote freelancer Simon Thompson.
Matt Brennan of the LA Times said the film has “absolutely sick shit”, calling it “the ‘here’s again’ of bloody fantasy epics”.
“Gladiator II” takes place 16 years after the events of the first film. The story follows Lucius (Mescal) – grandson of the former emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius, and son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus (Russell Crowe). Lucius now lives with his wife and son in Numidia. However, when Roman soldiers led by the Common Marco Acácio (Pedro Pascal) invade, he is forced into slavery. He was supposed to fight as a gladiator at the behest of the current young emperors, Caracalla and Geta (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger).
Scott’s awards campaign is a significant focus for Paramount Footage, which is also promoting the Robbie Williams musical biopic “Higher Man” and the recently acquired 1972 Munich Olympics hostage tragedy “September 5th” this season. of awards. Of Scott’s three previous directing Oscar nominations – which also include “Thelma & Louise” (1991) and “Black Hawk Down” (2001) – “Gladiator” was his closest shot at victory, losing to double nominee Steven Soderbergh for “Site visitors” (her other nomination was for “Erin Brockovich”).
Considering that Scott’s crucial reception has been inconsistent as of late (i.e., “Robin Hood” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings”), “Gladiator II” may be his best work since “Black Hawk Down.” Even though the sequel excels primarily in technical terms, history has shown that visually gorgeous films like Ang Lee’s “Lifetime of Pi” or Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity” can still propel directors to the Dolby Theater stage. In fact, Denis Villeneuve’s gorgeous “Dune: Half Two” will be aimed at those same categories. Is there room for everyone?
Apparently, Oscar history shows that a director whose film won best picture but lost the director category can still win again with a sequel. Francis Ford Coppola accomplished this when he lost best director for “The Godfather” (1972), but won the category with “The Godfather Part II” (1974), which took home six Oscars that night, including best picture. Could the “Gladiator” franchise follow an identical playbook? A recommendation for a tailored itinerary may be necessary, but the class is already full of candidates.
“Gladiator II” may be one of the Actors Department’s favorites. Washington’s entertaining and sinister portrayal of the villainous Macrinus, a former slave plotting to rule Rome, is one of his most charismatic and riveting performances. Rocking the most stunning suits and a pair of mesmerizing earrings, his work dates back to his second Oscar win as corrupt drug officer Alonzo in “Coaching Day.”
Villain roles have historically performed well in the supporting actor category, with previous winners including Javier Bardem (“No Nation for Old Men”), Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”) and Heath Ledger (“The Dark Knight”). Washington came close to securing a third Oscar recently with his self-directed role in “Fences” (2016), only to quickly return to Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea” even after winning the SAG Award. However, with a seemingly slimmer slate of candidates and no clear frontrunner on the rise, Washington could be positioned as the new favorite to take it all. At the very least, he could also get his first BAFTA nomination after more than 50 films and countless reviews.
“Gladiator II” opens in theaters on November 22nd from Paramount.
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