Gladiator II, one of 2024’s biggest blockbusters, will finally be available to watch on streaming in the UK and Ireland next month.
Coming to Paramount+, the movie stars Paul Mescal as Hanno – a man living in the North African kingdom of Numidia whose wife is killed by the invading Roman army, led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal).
Enslaved and taken to Rome, Hanno is spotted by the scheming Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who believes he would make for a formidable gladiator.
Hanno and Macrinus make a deal: Hanno will fight for Macrinus while Macrinus will help Hanno get revenge against Acacius.
It soon becomes clear, however, that Hanno may also have an ancestral connection to Rome that could threaten the reign of the empire’s corrupt leaders, the young Emperor brothers Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn).
Gladiator II was directed by Ridley Scott, who made the original Oscar Best Picture winning Gladiator 24 years previously.
The sequel was a box-office hit and seemed, for the most part, to earn mixed-to-positive reviews from audiences and critics alike.
Some took issue with the film’s CGI and historical inaccuracy.
However, we’d argue that Scott’s trademark hard-hitting gladiatorial and war battles, Mescal and Washington’s commanding performances and the screenplay’s more complex vengeance narrative make it worth seeking out, despite its flaws.
And if you missed Gladiator II in cinemas or you want to revisit it, the follow-up will be streaming on Paramount+ in the UK and Ireland on Monday, 12 May.
Related: One of 2024’s scariest movies is finally available to stream at home