CLEVELAND, Ohio — The much-discussed scene in “Gladiator II,” in which enslaved warriors fight to the death in a mock naval battle in a shark-infested pool near the Coliseum, is everything you’d expect. It also perfectly sums up Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel: bigger, bloodier and crazier.

Part two is set 16 years after the events of the original, which won Best Picture in 2001, and focuses on Lucius (Paul Mescal), last seen as a young boy in the first film. Now a farmer and soldier in Numidia, the last free city in Africa, he is captured during an invasion by the Roman army in a spectacular – and very loud – opening scene. Watch it at your own risk in Dolby Atmos.

Lucius is taken to an arena outside Rome, where his anger and talent for monkeying occur rasslin’ attracts the attention of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a ruthless gladiator promoter and emerging influence on the orange-dipped (🤔) twin emperors: the maniacal Geta (Joseph Quinn) and the capricious, childlike Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Lucius and Macrinus make a deal: he will fight as his champion in exchange for a chance at revenge on Acacius (Pedro Pascal), the general who led the attack on Numidia.

Turns out Acacius is the devoted husband of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), daughter of the beloved late Emperor Marcus Aurelius and former lover of Maximus, the hero of the first film played by Russell Crowe. Back in the gladiator ring, Lucius survives harrowing encounters with an angry rhino and hungry sharks, becoming a favorite among the plebians. Its increasing popularity attracts the attention of the Emperors and Empress, creating a series of juicy twists and breathtaking twists that I won’t spoil.

No one makes epic films like Scott, and he’s in rare form here. The 86-year-old director has created a massive cinematic event, with a cast of thousands, stunning visuals and brutal action set to a bombastic score by Harry Gregson-Williams. The bloody battles that Scott and screenwriter David Scarpa conjure up for the bloodthirsty Colosseum crowd are intense and over-the-top, leaving you with only one conclusion: those Romans were some sick, ahem, puppies.

In such a spectacle, corny dialogue, campy performances, ridiculous scenarios and liberties with historical facts are not bugs, but features. The film is a must see for all of them: Mescal’s climactic monologue is straight out of ‘Braveheart’, Hechinger plays Caracalla as a deranged Willy Wonka in an Ed Sheeran wig, one of the Emperor’s most trusted advisors is a monkey, and the Colosseum is essentially an extreme version of Sea World. Gloriously in the vein of ‘Ben-Hur’, ‘The Ten Commandments’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise, this is ‘Gladiator’ on steroids.

None of it works without the buy-in of the film’s two leads. Mescal and Washington indeed make compelling and worthy opponents. The screen loves Mescal, who brings an effortless charisma, unexpected vulnerability and brutal physicality to the role of leading gladiator that Crowe perhaps lacked. Washington is having such a good time or something is so far up in his toga that he’s chewing the scenery like he’s skipped breakfast and lunch. If you thought Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus was diabolical, wait until you get a load of Macrinus.

Pascal and Nielsen keep things on track with moving performances that leave you feeling something other than nausea and sensory overload. The relationship between his Acacius, torn between love and duty, and her Lucilla, resilient and defiant, is the emotional center of the film.

It’s been 24 years since Maximus asked, “Aren’t you entertained?” In this awe-inspiring, heartbreaking sequel, the answer remains the same. Give “Gladiator II” a resounding thumbs up.

“Gladiator II” has a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes and is rated R for strong bloody violence. The film will hit theaters on November 22.