ITS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe that should just be the review… nah.
Yep the day is here. November 15th 2024. GLADIATOR II DAY IN IMAX AT THE FIRST SHOWING I COULD GET TO!
Yes i have taken today off to see Gladiator, got a problem with that. The first is one of my favourite films of all time. I mean i went to see it on the big screen a couple of weeks ago didnt i.

So i got on the train & went to Chi to their IMAX screen which was showing the films at 1:10pm. Can i just say that in future i will be going to Crawley over Chi for IMAX, many more facilities, like there was no star bucks or costa, had to get a boring coffee & there wasnt even a nice coffee place outside the cinema. & their IMAX screen was much smaller that the Crawley one & their seats werent as comfortable either.

For a friday at a really weird time, i was impressed. Id say half sold out. Clearly everyone else wanted to see it first opportunity they could too. I was the youngest in there for sure. There were two guys mid to late 40s next to me who looked a little judgingly at me if im honest.

Trailers, Mickey 17 (looks incredible), Mufasa, Wicked, Kraven, Captain America, & then the one we all wanted to see which at the end of it the room went ooohhhhh… MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 8 Final reckoning or whatever its called. I accept the mission Ethan. Bring it on.

& then i the movies started… FUCK A DUCK!

This ticked all the boxes i wanted it too.
A good legacy sequel
Filled with action
A simple but strong story
Phenomenal acting
Lots of death
Good script
Expected & unexpected gore & violence
Fun
Lots of Hot men.
WHATS NOT TO LOVE
Im not down for people going meh about this film. & i was ready to shame this for being cash grabbing & just a snooze fest. No i aint having it. Also youve all had over 20 years to watch the first one, of course your more fond of that one.

So Denzel will get the oscar. lets not sugar coat it & beat around the bush. He owned his role. He really did. HE was so good & was so cool & lived his best life being a guy who wanted the world. The academy will give it to him because they should. But i would like them to think about one Joseph Quinn… he stole the bloody show. Like ive not seen something that good from a supporting actor since well RDJ last year in Oppenheimer. He wont even get nominated, but he was phenomenal. Him & Fred were a brilliant duo, but on his own, he was unhinged & scary & i loved every second he was on screen. This man needs recognition.

It was so well paced. So much so that i was like hang on when we got to one point quicker than i thought we would & was like hang on but now what. It kept you guessing. You had a rough idea how some stuff was going to go but not all of it. A few things kept you on your toes. I mean there was one death which the guy next to me (yes the judgemental one) freaked out when someone was killed. It was graphic & did make me sit up, but it wasnt expected at all. It was not nice but yea he was freaked out by it.

Tim McKineray & Matt Lucas were very nice surprises to be in the film. I mean we knew Jacobi was going to be in it, but they were nice additions i wasnt expecting. Did Matt just get drunk the whole time?

Right lets talk our man…

The fact there was a point within the first 10 minutes of the film where Pedro Pascals face took up almost half the massive IMAX screen, that was worth the money. Damn that hair was on point. There were a couple of points where i was like ahhhh Damn it sir. A reveal moment was one of them & another involved toes. He wasnt a distraction. He was so important to the story. & he kicked arse & was such a complex but also clever character. I loved him. He looked so good all beaten up from war & then being a hero. & he was loyal & loved everyone. What a man. Bloody love you Pedro, so much range to that character.

See that wasnt so bad was it.

Paul Mescal proved he could step up from being the indi darling of cinema & TV. I mean shirtless rowing helped. It really did. But he was so good. His mannerisms were spot on.

The way it honoured the original was done classily. From the opening titles, to the films references. It nailed all of them. But it was then still its own film

On a first viewing i couldnt work out which part was filmed here, but im sure a second or third would tell me what it was. I was too engrossed it wasnt til i got to my sisters that evening that she asked about it & i was like argh.

I like a film where you dont know who to trust. Whos a spy, whos loyal, who will betray & then who will they betray really kept you on your toes. Also it meant no one was safe at all. Anyoen could die.

The monkeys, both types, were interesting. I mean one was sweat & the other less so & yes it was a bit much but i wouldnt put it past them. The sharks were fun but it was the rhino i loved the most. Very clever.

Some lush cinematography at points. Like my film nerd brain was like damn this movie. Its making that part of me very very happy.

All the battles were so good it be it small ones, to the war, to the coliseum. It all worked so well.

I loved it. I loved every second of it. Now how do i get dad to go see this. I was half hoping Pedro would distract me a lot more or it would be a little disapointing but it wasnt. It was fucking incredible & is a buzzer contender for film of the year. This makes my life so much harder now. Im guessing Wicked is going to be the dud…

Just fucking phenomenal.