Bria Lou Reviews

  After a devastating loss, Hanno (Paul Mescal) uses his hidden past to battle the powerful emperors trying to conquer his home. I watched the first Gladiator film as part of last year's movie bucket list and I liked it. I didn't think it absolutely needed a sequel, but I was interested to see one nonetheless - even moreso after it got an Oscar nomination. I thought this film was fine, there were things I liked and didn't like almost in equal measure. I really liked the opening sequence, it was really engaging and took the audience straight back into the world of the first film. I also really liked the way this film connected to the first one. The visuals are stunning, particularly all of the scenery and set pieces.  From the offset, I cared about these new characters less than I cared about the first ones. Maybe because it's a sequel, but in the first film there was a real connection to the characters that this one wasn't able to replicate for me. It felt a lot lon...

  It's really fitting that this one is on the bucket list, considering the sequel is coming out soon. I didn't know anything about this movie before watching it, so as you can guess, this was a first-time watch. I had no desire to see it previously. I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. Initially, I think the setting, and the fact that it's described as a 'historical epic' made it feel really intimidating, so I was glad that it was actually quite accessible. The story was an interesting one. You're immediately interested in the characters and you're curious to see how they'll end up. It's also really well-written and directed. You can tell that the filmmakers were really passionate about the story and tried to make it feel as authentic as possible. But the best thing about the film is definitely the acting. All of the actors played their roles amazingly well, it's no surprise that so many of them have become (if they weren't already...