Are you not entertained? Because just about everyone who has seen it Gladiator II is praising Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel on social media.

Although at least one viewer argued that the sequel is “largely uneven and lacks the emotional impact of the first film,” many of the early reactions to the film are enthusiastic about the “epic Roman opera,” as well as the Oscar attention for Scott and star Denzel Washington, after a special screening Friday on the Paramount lot.

Discussing Film Editor-in-Chief Andrew J. Salazar was perhaps one of the most critical, but even he had good things to say about Scott’s direction.

“GLADIATOR II works best as an acting showcase for Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn. It is largely uneven and lacks the emotional impact of the first film,” Salazar wrote of X. “However, Ridley Scott’s direction is unhinged, framing this as an epic Roman opera. The images complete the work.”

Jillian Chilingerian, co-founder and editor of Offscreen Central, called the film “an absolute triumph,” adding in the post, “Ridley Scott puts you in the action of the arena, centered around legacy and honor, bringing out the blood, the battles and strife are stirred up. biceps for something so wonderfully cinematic and Machiavellian. Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal and Joseph Quinn certified movie stars.”

In another post, Chilingeriean wrote: “GLADIATOR 2 is Hamlet like a Roman political opera, a brutal bloody struggle for power and corruption with performances that possess the emotional weight of movie stars. I can’t believe Ridley pulled this off and it’s one of the few modern blockbusters that looks visually GOOD.”

FilmSpeak host Griffin Schiller wrote: “Ridley Scott returns to the Coliseum to prove to the world that HE IS. STILL. GOT. IT. Absolutely BUZZING after #GladiatorII! An epic Shakespearean story about hope, futility and power in a crumbling system. Denzel FEASTS in a breathtaking, Machiavellian performance. What a picture!”

Gladiator IIwhich premieres internationally on November 15 and in the US and Canada on November 22, Mescal plays Lucius, who previously witnessed the death of Maximus (played by Russell Crowe in the original) at the hands of his uncle Commodus ( Joaquin Phoenix) in the first film. Now grown up, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and fight to return glory to the people of Rome.

Read more reactions to the film below.