GLADIATOR II

A sequel 24 years in the making, the story of Gladiator continues in the follow-up to the cult classic period action movie from 2000 that rewrites the history of the Roman empire with blood.

GLADIATOR II

GLADIATOR II, the sequel to Ridley Scott's 2000 masterpiece continues the tale of power, intrigue, and vengeance in Ancient Rome. Set after the end of the first Gladiator movie, Paul Mescal plays the role of the gladiator Lucius who witnessed the death of Maximus from the previous story and is now forced to fight in the arena after his home was taken over by the tyrants who now control the Roman Empire with an iron fist. Fighting through his past, Lucius is throwing all means for the future of Rome and in due course, continuing the fight left by Maximus.

The movie also stars The Last of Us's Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington.

Like the original Gladiator movie 24 years ago, this sequel is unforgivingly relatable even by Ancient Rome standards. The authoritarian rule as demonstrated by the antagonists from the film forced men into a do-or-die battle royale is what sums it up and as expected, this is about survival. Still, the hard-hitting battle scenes retain the Gladiator signature even in the eyes of the new protagonist who vows to continue the fight for Rome.

The harsh Ancient Roman political hardline, a relentless fight to the death, and the gripping storytelling that picks up where the previous story left off, this is what GLADIATOR II sums up. Welcome back to the stage of history.

Forza Horizon 4: Let's review Series 35 cars!

The Jeep Gladiator, Citroen DS, and the Porsche 928 are the cars Forza Horizon 4 players worked hard to obtain throughout the course of the Series 35 update, and as new challenges await, let's take a quick pause to review the trio of Series 35 cars obtained throughout the update.

The Jeep Gladiator that you've obtained from the Summer Playlist, so what is it? Well, the Gladiator name has been revived by Jeep for their first-ever pickup truck since the Comanche and it's based on the Wrangler JL. You can think of it as a Wrangler JL with a rear bed to store some raw American stuff only Cowboy Charlie can think of. Despite the rear bed space, the Gladiator works and feels just like the Wrangler and so are the choice of engines with the range-topper bearing the Pentastar 3.6L V6 engine.

Next up is the Citroen DS 23 Pallas that you've obtained from the Winter Playlist. This is the iconic hatchback that first introduced Citroen's signature hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension system which uses liquid hydraulic and gas-pressured suspension instead of springs, giving it a comfy ride on all kinds of road surfaces. It was the first to use disc brakes. There was a well-known trivia that because of the Citroen DS's durability, it managed to keep the French president Charles De Gaulle safe from a failed assassination attempt, putting his loyalty to the car company behind this car.

Lastly, the one that you've obtained from the Spring Playlist, the Porsche 928. It's one of the infamous trio used on the Top Gear Patagonia Special alongside the Mustang Mach 1 and the Lotus Esprit. Unlike most Porsches derived from other vehicles, the 928 is all-original and it's the first V8 FR Porsche that caused quite a controversy from purists everywhere and so is the price tag.

Now that we got to know about those Series 35 cars, let's give this trio a quick spin just to find out what's like to be in one of these sweet rides. Roll the tape!

Enjoy your new rides!

Jeep Gladiator JT

Jeep revived the Gladiator name for their first-ever pickup truck since the Comanche and it's now a Wrangler JL with a bed on the back, which is rad for offroad enthusiasts looking for a serious offroad pickup truck that is not afraid to get itself scratched and bumped by nature. So, what's the X-file and the why card on this American Gladiator?

2020 Jeep Gladiator

The American Gladiator capable of handling America's toughest terrains starts at 33,545 US Dollars plus on-road costs and while it sounds like much for this pickup derivative of the Jeep Wrangler JL, the offroader that made everything who wishes to have one feeling jealous to have one someday, is another main reason why offroaders are ready to drive Jeep's newest pickup truck that loves to carry the most extreme jobs on its payload, much like your favorite smartphone app that carried a lot of dark, gritty, and raw ads.

2020 Jeep Gladiator

2020 Jeep Gladiator interior

Looking at the design, the Gladiator is a Wrangler JL with a rear bed to store some raw American stuff only Cowboy Charlie can think of. On the inside, it still packs the same Wrangler-like creature comforts big enough for a Sasquatch to squeeze about, and although unsure about the dashboard layout, which works like the Wrangler, the Gladiator's interior is about as comfortable as putting up a fresh pair of Duluth trading pants smothered with fish smell after a hard day's work at the pier. Now that's a hard-working Jeep, alright.

2020 Jeep Gladiator

Speaking of hardworking, the Gladiator really is a hardworking pickup truck that does all the manly things like every American pickup truck should. It carries the same Pentastar 3.6L V6 VT Engine with ESS as the Wrangler JL and is mated to either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed Automatic 850RE Transmission. The engine produces 285HP of power, 260lb-ft of torque, City/Hwy MPG of 16/23, and a max towing capacity of up to 7,650lbs, making it tough enough to tow a caravan and annoy the speedo boys on the road.

Of course, while this is a caravanner's truck that can cause so much misery in traffic, the Gladiator is still a Jeep, and with the Rubicon variant, it's capable of getting through the most extreme offroad conditions no pickup truck ever imagined to get through thanks to exclusive features such as Locking Differentials, Electronic Disconnecting Sway Bay, Rick-Track 4:1 Transfer Case, Rock Rail, and Fox Shocks. With stuff like this, the Gladiator's not afraid to take on shortcuts and it can humiliate even a roaring supercar on a race from points A to B.

Yes, the Gladiator boasts a wide range of safety features but the best feature of all is the TrailCam Off-Road Camera, which displays gridlines that allow offroaders to get through the right track when needed.

Thanks to such offroad features inspired by the Wrangler JL, the Jeep Gladiator turns drivers into hardcore sweet potatoes who love to take the dirtiest shortcuts while annoying the dashcam-wielding public into thinking that your offroader can do all things a normal car can't. Sounds common sense but there's nothing common sense about getting into the ultimate offroad truck that does everything like a Jeep should and you should give thanks to the Americans behind it.

Photo: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles