The Roman poet Juvenal wrote that as long as the people had “bread and circuses” – in other words, enough food to be satisfied and entertainment like gladiator fights and chariot races – they’d be happy. The first Gladiator all but broke the fourth wall when Maximus bellowed “Are you not entertained?” to a crowd of spectators baying for blood, and it’s easy to imagine Ridley Scott doing the same again with this sequel. It’s a film of sometimes breathtaking spectacle, but is that enough?

It kicks off, much like the first, with a gigantic battle sequence between the Roman army and the people they want to conquer and enslave, in this case, the Numidians. When the city falls, the Romans capture a man (Paul Mescal) who is forced to fight in the arena as a gladiator. The trailers have thoroughly spoiled his identity, but the film does treat it as a mystery, so we’ll avoid mentioning it here in case you’ve managed to avoid them.

Gladiator II is hardly the first sequel that plays more like a remake of its predecessor, but it’s a shame because it’s been such a long time in coming. There was an assumption that Scott must have had a really good reason for going back to the well, but the first act is so similar to the original that it takes the wind out of the movie’s sails. Yes, we see the initial humongous battle between Romans and “barbarians” from the barbarians’ point of view this time, but it still can’t help but recall the first film’s iconic opening. Our hero’s journey is effectively identical to that of Maximus, and if you enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix‘s turn as demented, psychotic man-child Emperor Commodus, you’re in luck, because here there are two demented, psychotic man-child emperors.

Things do take a more interesting turn as events move along, when the plot gets more involved with Rome’s politics and we get to spend more time with Pedro Pascal’s general Marcus Acacius and Denzel Washington‘s gladiator-owner Macrinus. The mystery of Paul Mescal’s identity is ultimately more of a head-scratcher than a mind-blower, but it does actually work as a believable continuation of the first film’s story. It’s a pity that Maximus’s victory didn’t amount to much in the end, with the Roman Empire as tyrannical and despotic as ever, but that was probably inevitable in any sequel.

As for the film’s circuses, they don’t disappoint, and if the story’s a little lacking there’s still plenty of eye candy to enjoy. This is the rare $200+ million movie that actually looks like it cost $200 million, with stunning production design, gorgeous costumes, and terrific action sequences. The much-hyped naumachia, a ship-to-ship battle inside the flooded Colosseum, is puzzlingly brief in the end, but a fight between unarmed gladiators and blood-crazed baboons is very fun, and the gladiator fights have a visceral, physical oomph to them that so much blockbuster action lacks. It looks like it hurts when people get hit, sliced, or, in one memorable instance, gored by a rhino.

Gladiator II certainly doesn’t lack grandeur, spectacle, or mass entertainment, but when the credits roll, it’s hard not to feel a little letdown. It treads such familiar ground, doing itself no favours by inviting so many comparisons to the original, and that familiarity means it’s never as emotionally involved as it needs to be. The circuses are great, but there just isn’t enough bread – the substance of the thing – to leave us feeling truly satisfied.

★★★

In cinemas from 15 November / Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hecihinger / Dir: Ridley Scott / Paramount Pictures / 15