Epic theatre: Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal hash it out in Gladiator II’.

GLADIATOR II ***1/2 (148 minutes) M
Hardcore fans of the first Gladiator movie will recall from the bonus features on one of the film’s numerous DVD releases how it was originally meant to contain a showdown in the Colosseum between some poor sod and a large rhinoceros.

The scene was cut due to logistic and budget issues, director Ridley Scott’s heart was broken yet the production forged on, rhinoceros-less, leaving those who subsequently discovered the fact sorely lamenting its omission.

So, very glad to report that Gladiator II features a centrepiece fight involving a giant rhinoceros – and what a splendid beast it is.

Bearing a rider, decked out in armour and with a huge anterior horn ready to kebab any warrior the rhinoceros is a sight to behold, richly detailed and totally believable in all its photo-realistic, digitally rendered glory. You can almost feel the blasts of heat when it snorts.

Such is the supreme standard of production permeating Gladiator II, a fabulous, big-screen spectacle made by one of the few directors who actually knows how to make and pace an epic, mass-market crowd pleaser.

With the original’s Maximus (Russell Crowe) popping up only briefly in flashbacks, the action this time around involves his son Lucius (Paul Mescal).

A hard-working man of the land, he loses his warrior wife during a Roman siege, is taken prisoner and promptly recruited by Macrinus (Denzel Washington in full-on bad-ass mode) to fight as a gladiator, the promise being eventual freedom.

Lucius is eager to avenge his wife’s death by slicing up General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), yet there are many competing story strands in play, most involving the overthrow of emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), two obnoxious, pasty-faced brothers whose corruption has everyone plotting against them. These include Macrinus and Acacius.

Then there’s Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), wife of Maximus who senses a connection with Lucius, wondering if it has anything to do with the young son she sent off for his own safety several decades earlier at the end of the first film.

With fruity performances from everyone – including Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas as the master of ceremonies – all the high-stakes drama does exactly what it’s supposed to: namely, keep you sufficiently occupied and emotionally invested so that you give a twig about what happens during the film’s many magnificent battle scenes.

And there are heaps. Apart from the rhinoceros, there’s a great opening-reel battle, a fight with some dentally endowed chimps and a raucous sea skirmish that takes place inside the Colosseum, complete with man-eating sharks ready to chow down on any combatant unfortunate enough to fall into the drink. A cool touch.

Reports on the film’s obviously huge budget vary wildly; The Hollywood Reporter has estimates ranging between $250m to $310m, though it’s important to always keep in mind how any talk of a film’s supposed budget is all guesswork as studios never officially release how much their movies cost. (Same goes with actor salaries.)

No matter, for however big the bill was on G2, Ridley Scott remains one of the few living directors who knows how to put it all up there. The thing simply looks great, like an old-style matinee extravaganza, only with 21st-century production heft.

And as if being thoroughly entertaining wasn’t enough, Gladiator II is also notable for imparting a very nifty lifehack on how best to handle yourself in case you ever get charged head-on by a giant rhinoceros. It’s a lovely takeaway.