s a visually stunning battle but lacks substance. The final showdown offers nothing fresh, and the death of the antagonist in front of everyone feels like it’s trying to copy the original. The speech about “Maximus and Marcus’s dream”? We’ve heard it before, and it meant more the first time. What was the point of that last scene? There were so many ways to end this movie with a high note, something meaningful to honor Lucilla or Acacius. Instead, we get a hollow, pointless ending that adds nothing to the story. Credit where it’s due: the cinematography, CGI, and score are outstanding. Visually, the movie is a masterpiece, with breathtaking scenery and polished editing. The music, while clearly inspired by the original, carries the mood well. But great visuals can’t save a story that refuses to move forward. Gladiator 2 had potential, but it’s stuck trying to recreate past glory instead of delivering something new. It’s visually impressive but ultimately hollow.32:T51e,I've been quite generous in how I've received (the apparently now finished) 'Sony’s Spider-Man Universe', but even I can't give you any positives for this one. 'Venom' is its peak, though I genuinely enjoyed 'Madame Web' (don't @ me) and even (the not good) 'Morbius' didn't overly bother me. 'Kraven the Hunter', however, did well and truly bore me. Aaron Taylor-Johnson offers a glimmer of hope, but this makes for a looooong 2hrs 7mins (why that long, I have no idea). The first few scenes, whilst nothing exceptional, are actually perfectly OK - I thought so, anyway. Though pretty much from the introduction of a young Calypso (no hate on Ariana DeBose btw, I like her and she tries) the movie quickly spirals. The characters of Russell Crowe and Alessandro Nivola (he, too, tries) are, to put it kindly, rather irritating. Christopher Abbott's role has some potential attached to it, though that countdown thing got repetitive real fast; almost as quick as 1... 2... nevermind