shivers

Gladiator II showcased impressive scenery and elaborate costumes, yet it lacked the spiritual depth and emotional resonance of its predecessor. The film's pacing felt rushed, resulting in a narrative filled with superficial and unnecessary plot holes.

Paul Mescal's portrayal of Lucius lacked the emotional depth and complexity that it needed to engage viewers in the protagonist's journey. His performance came across as flat - it neither evoked the empathy that we all felt for Maxiumus' character in Gladiator, nor the feeling that he was a hero in the making.

Matt Lucas's cameo as the master of ceremonies in the Colosseum was particularly disappointing. He's absolutely brilliant in Little Britain but his his role here was underwhelming and lacked energy one might expect. In fact, the portrayal of the racing commentators in "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" was more engaging and entertaining than Lucas's performance in this film.

Gladiator II was a tiring and difficult watch. It failed to capture the essence that made Gladiator so compelling. Its lack of emotional depth, coupled with a rushed and superficial storyline made me feel it was made just to be a sequel to earn a quick buck.

This is an absolutely stunning movie filled with political and moral commentary about a future in which America tears itself apart. Filming it from the perspective of neutral journalists was Garland's masterpiece stroke. Rather than pitching the film as a story between opposing political factions, which would draw too many contrast with being Democrat or Republican, Garland delivered a narrative filming from the perspective of armies militias seeking to control America.

Civil War's cinematography was outstanding - the film contrasted American everyday culture against the backdrop and horrors of war for example Winter Wonderland, Main Street, a water sprinkler, JC Penny and skipping ropes.

And I suppose the only criticism I had about the film if any was, it was just too short and needed more detail and time to really go deep on some of the subplots in this incredible narrative - perhaps conjoining all of those subplots into a big "Aha!" moment at some point, which would help the view to connect aspects of their history with in parallel with America's march towards its second civil war.

Even then, for history and political junkies this is a film to watch - watch it twice, watch it three times and encourage your friends and families to see it as well. It's the only way that will actually make sure that people realize that democracy is fragile and could easily lead to war, if the checks and balances are dismantled.

I'm only watching 3BP for the storyline and the CGI.

The acting is absolutely dreadful and I don't blame the actors - I blame the producers who didn't allow the actors to bring their characters to life.

It's a new Netflix tactic to prop up the number of hours watched (a KPI which is reported to the markets).

The recipe: dumb down acting creativity and flare, maintain a linear, bland storyline backed by CGI and, sadly audiences will binge watch. I'm not saying that binge watching is bad nor am I suggesting audiences are dumb either - but we're more than capable of appreciating deeper storylines and connecting with characters on an emotional level.

Don't believe me? Watch Netflix's 1899. It had an awesome, mind-bending, sci-fi storyline backed by incredible CGI and most importantly, method actors who were given creative freedom to immerse themselves in their roles.

But Netflix deemed it too complicated for audiences to follow - and less likely to binge watch. The result... cancelled after one season.

Who remembers Netflix's Dark? Filmed entirely in german, it took us through three gripping, tense and deeply paradoxical seasons which stretched our imaginations and left us itching to learn more about Jonas Kahnwald and Martha Nielsen's universe-destroying love story. It was one of the best sci-fi series ever produced and complicated enough to watch it twice (I did!).

The point is the 3BP could have been legendary - but in the hands of today's Netflix producers it's going to fade into obscurity.