They say “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” But the Romans gave a thumbs down when they didn’t like a gladiator. I’m not legally allowed to do that for Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” because somebody trademarked “thumb reviews” (thank you very much, Roger and Gene), but let’s just say the temptation was there. “Gladiator II” isn’t a complete fiasco, and God knows there are worse sword-and-sandal movies, but it isn’t a worthy follow-up to the original.
We’re going to need to play a little catch-up here, because “Gladiator II” assumes you remember the plot of the original. Russell Crowe starred as Maximus, a Roman General who — thanks to the murderous schemes of Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) — became a slave, and then worked his way up to the most famous gladiator in Rome.