By Stephanie Zacharek November 22, 2024 10:58 AM EST T he pleasures of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II are numerous: There’s Paul Mescal as scrappy gladiator Lucius, bent on kicking as much Roman ass as possible. Pedro Pascal is a stalwart general who realizes with regret that he’s sacrificed his own morals for the glory of Rome . The ever-regal Connie Nielsen returns, from the first film, as Lucilla, daughter of the late Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who’s dismayed that her father’s ideals have been