Gladiator 2

OwaynOTT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123001095#Comment_123001095

I might be wrong but isn’t there an intro by Scott in the extended cut basically saying that the theatrical release was the directors cut and that what you’re about to watch doesn’t add anything?

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123002095#Comment_123002095

Very possible. I watched an iTunes version not so long ago and extended was the default cut with no intro, and you could really feel the deleted scenes thrown in.

Though I’ve also come around to Peter Jackson’s view that the theatrical versions of LotR are stronger, better paced films than the extended ones. More doesn’t mean better, no matter how well crafted or interesting the additional stuff is.

Sad Professor

I like the extended cut of Gladiator actually. The extra scenes are really good and work well put back in the film. It's the only version of the film I have watched since it was released. Agree about LOTR though, the theatrical versions are much better films. Some of the added scenes are just bad and were clearly meant to be replaced by other scenes that were shot later.

Anyway I was very underwhelmed by this. There's a half decent film in there somewhere amidst a bunch of bad writing and overblown action set pieces. Some of the new characters and their storylines - Denzel, Pascal, the emperors - are solid and don't necessarily feel like a rehash of the first film, but there there's all the stuff that does feel like rehash. The main problem is Mescal's character - his storyline is crap and totally undermines the ending of the first film. I don't blame Mescal for this who I think does a good job with what he's given.

spookwoman

Watched the first one the night before watching the 2nd. Jesus the 2nd is terrible and at times it felt like Zack Snyder had a hand in putting it together. There was no solid feel to the story and felt cobbled together from different bits. Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielson and Denzel Washington were there just to give it some big names and a link to the first.

No fan of Paul Mescal and the accent didn't help, he just doesn't pass as a fighter or action person. He's supposed to be 5' 10" but in a lot of the scenes he looked like a midget next to the other gladiators.

Cluedo Monopoly

I finally went to see this movie. Jaysus it was awful. Bad script, bad plot, bad acting, bad pacing/editing, very disjointed. Generous 4/10. Mescal was poor but his lines were also very poor. I never cared about any of the characters.

Frenzied man eating sharks in the colleseum? Give me a break.

feelings

Echo the above and what a lot of other posters have said. This was awful. Painful to watch. It was all over the place. Mescals accent was all over the shop.

Anyone watching the sharks, I know you were thinking this:

https://tenor.com/en-IE/view/laserbeams-yourefired-freakinglaserbeams-drevil-austin-gif-8410743

reubenreuben

Highlights were the cgi etc. Got a real feel for how Rome would have looked. Plus Denzel washington. Outstanding.

Lows were Paul Mescal. He was ok in fight scenes but whenever he spoke it was ridiculous. Miscast completely.

New soundtrack was poor so pleased there was some original there at times.

flasher0030

I really enjoyed the first hour. It seemed to lose its way after that. And just dragged out a bit. Overall, its a decent entertainment. But too long considering the lack of story to it.

It will always be compared to the original Gladiator movie and falls miles short of that. But if it was a stand alone film in its own right, it would be ok.

rob316

Expectations were very low but that was dreadful start to finish. Mescal has the screen presence of a sweeping brush

Full_Circle_81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123002095#Comment_123002095

I think the directors cut intro you're referring to was at the start of Alien maybe, rather than Gladiator? Pretty sure it was Blade Runner that kicked off his long habit of "directors cuts", but with Alien he thinks of the theatrical as his final cut with the "directors cut" that was released on DVD/Blu-ray more of an alternate. I also think the directors cut is actually shorter. Please do correct me if I'm wrong there.

I think that on iTunes, it's the extended cut of Gladiator that's the default version, but the Blu-ray has both cuts. I actually can't remember which cut I watched before going to see the sequel.....

OwaynOTT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123232895#Comment_123232895

I was pretty sure it was gladiator. As we only watched it on Blu-ray recently.
does he say it on all the extended cuts?