‘Gladiator II’ First Reactions From Early Screening: “A Total Spectacle With a Pulsating Pace”

Gladiator II had its first screening Friday night and early reactions have already made their way to social media.

The sequel to the 2000 film was screened at the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, where media outlets and film critics got a first look at the movie starring Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.

Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott, sees Mescal playing a grown-up Lucius Verus II, a nephew to emperor Commodus from the original film, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Lucius returns to Rome after being forced into slavery to battle not as a ruler, but as a gladiator out for revenge and power, and seeks to return the glory of Rome to its people.

The cast also includes Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi, Rory McCann, Fred Hechinger, Matt Lucas, May Calamawy, Tim McInnerny, Peter Mensah and Alec Utgoff. The movie opens in theaters on Nov. 22.

Gladiator II is set for a tentpole release by Paramount Pictures at Thanksgiving after the original film, which was released more than two decades ago, won five Oscars and earned $465.4 million worldwide. The first trailer released in July also racked up 215 million global cross-platform views in just a few days.

Full critics reviews for Gladiator II won’t drop until closer to the film’s release date, but read on for a sampling of the first reactions to the movie after the screening.