Gladiator II has big sandals to fill. Its predecessor, the 2000 historical epic starring Russell Crowe, was both a box office success and a Best Picture winner at the Oscars. Director Ridley Scott’s longest-running sequel, out now, brings viewers back to the Coliseum with a new cast that includes Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and even some historically questionable sharks. Of course, critics can’t help but compare the two films – and make some “do you like it” jokes in the process. Although many reviews agree Gladiator II delivers a spectacle with bloody battles, but there is no strong consensus on whether other elements are sufficient to make it a satisfying sequel. From thumbs up to thumbs down: this is how critics respond.

“I wasn’t crazy about it Gladiatorbut I appreciated the melodramatic conviction at its core, the way it was unabashedly emotional about grief and justice and restoring order to the world. Gladiator II echoes elements of the first film, including talk of the “dream of Rome” as a more egalitarian place, but while that idea is more central to the plot in the sequel, it feels even more abstract. Rome in this film is not solid enough to be saved or destroyed; it is a series of historical interiors that the characters pass through. Only when the characters fight does the film come to life.” —Alison Willmore, Vulture

“Scott holds you with his actors, the dynamism of his filmmaking, with shocking beauty and shockingly nauseating humor. There are few contemporary directors who can convey a film like this Gladiator II equally convincing, which perhaps explains why the sequel – for all its barbaric violence and plaintive, sometimes stirring discussions of justice and democracy – doesn’t have the mournful quality that the first film had. Scott clearly loved making this film, and so did Washington, and they invite you to make one too, which turns out to be easy. —Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“The way Mescal plays him, with an anger that never quite comes to a boil, we can’t help but see him now as a millennial imitation of Crowe’s incandescent royal punk. Bee Gladiator IIare we not entertained? We are. But that’s not necessarily the same as handcuffed.” —Owen Gleiberman, Variety

“In terms of brutal spectacle, extensive period reconstruction and powerful set pieces that require complex choreography, the sequel delivers what fans will want from its 2000 Oscar-winning predecessor: battles, swordplay, bloodshed, ancient Roman intrigue. That said, there’s a déjà vu quality to much of the new film, a servility that goes beyond the caged men forced to fight for their survival, and seeps into the bones of a drama that’s too much is bound to the original.’ —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“Gladiator is a tough act to follow, but Sir Ridley Scott still proves to be a master, crafting a Roman orgy of excitement that proves to be a worthy successor in every respect.” —Pete Hammond, Deadline

“16 years later Gladiator and with whoever of the original cast isn’t dead or incorruptible, the new film has all the opulence of the first film, but none of the majesty. It’s an epic without a purpose and therefore great for a lazy Sunday streaming in a few months. Then, Gladiator II will find its true purpose playing on multiple screens in the TV aisle at Costco. —Ty Burr, The Washington Post

“Yet this sequel largely delivers on the promise of building on a foundation that goes back centuries but dates back only a quarter of a century, the foundation of a man, bloodied but unbowed, standing before spectators who want their money’s worth. You won’t necessarily be enlightened, empowered, or enthralled by any of this Gladiator II. But you will almost certainly be entertained.” —David Angst, Rolling stone

“It doesn’t matter that this originality-free sequel fails to resonate like its predecessor. At this point the public will be too blinded to care.” —Peter Travers, ABC News

“Can a film be too much and too little at the same time? This is Ridley Scott’s riddle Gladiator IIa film that is bursting with just enough spectacle not to become boring, but when you try to get something out of it thematically, it slips through your fingers like sand in the hands of a warrior. It’s a film that doesn’t so much struggle to escape the shadow of its predecessor as it camps within it, willing to play so many of the same beats and concepts that the rhythm becomes numbingly familiar.” —Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“Gladiator II is ultimately a bigger, more bombastic, and thematically messier film than Gladiator, but it thrives on excellent performances and Scott’s knack for capturing ferocious fight sequences. —Esther Zuckerman, Bloomberg

“Gladiator II adheres closely to the structure and style of the original film, so there’s not much that’s surprising or unexpected. The film itself is a son, made from the same DNA in the same image. It’s the only one Gladiator sequel that could possibly exist and be exactly what you expect, for better or for worse. —Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times