I saw Gladiator II two days after election day. By then, the results had been certified, sinking the country’s liberals and leftists of the country into a pit of mourning, terror, and rage. As I vacillated between feeling like a live wire and nothing at all, watching a movie was both the only and the last thing I wanted to do. I needed to watch something. Simultaneously, I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I watched anything, I might spontaneously combust, transforming into a Substance-like shower of viscera and sadness.

But Ridley Scott’s historical epic would wait for no man.

After about 15 or 20 minutes, I suddenly felt certain that actually? This is the only film I could have handled at that moment. In fact, maybe it’s the perfect film to counteract the feeling of dread sitting on all of our chests like a two-tonne rhino.

Sitting there in the dark, popcorn in hand, it felt like 2004. I’m in a mall. Everything is going to be fine.

Gladiator II picks up 16 years after the events of Gladiator. Maximus is dead. His son, Lucius (Paul Mescal), is dragged into the same bargain as his father after his city falls to the Roman Empire, led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). Lucius can entertain as a gladiator and earn his freedom, or he can die. But Lucius doesn’t want freedom. He wants revenge on Marcus, whose command resulted in the death of Lucius’s wife. Slick, brilliant, and brutally ambitious Macrinus (Denzel Washington) offers a way for Lucius to do just that. Win in the ring, and Macrinus will deliver the gladiator Marcus on a silver platter.

Plotting aside, there are only two ways to view Gladiator II. One, as a paler, sloppier rehashing of its predecessor. Alternately, as an entertaining throwback to the kind of movie Hollywood used to make all the time.

I choose the latter.

Gladiator II is classic spectacle with clear stakes and big stars, at least one of whom overflows with so much charisma he can carry the picture on his back. It is, quite simply, the popcorn flick we need in these trying times.

Gladiator II half attempts to be about the fall of an empire, the fate of democracy, and fighting for the future, all themes with the potential to pack an incredible emotional wallop. But in execution? That stuff is background noise.

Instead, this is a movie about a couple of Hollywood’s It Boys in leather skirts short enough to give the gams the chance to shine (or should I say glisten?). It’s light glinting on the perfect slope of a nose. Sweaty brows and biceps. And did I mention the thighs? I did? Can I mention them again?

That said, while Mescal and Pascal are an absolute joy to look at, neither seem capable of passing as capital M, capital S Movie Stars. At least, not in the shadow of Denzel Washington. As Macrinus, he radiates charm, sleaze, power, and wit, all while rocking a wardrobe that’s finally regal enough for one of modern Hollywood’s true kings. Watching him have this much fun is truly worth the price of admission alone.

It isn’t that Gladiator II’s flaws aren’t worth examining or dissecting. But in a world that currently feels fragile and on the verge of crumbling into dust, I would rather celebrate Scott’s capabilities. In his second large-scale historical epic in as many years, Scott demonstrates why he’s one of the few directors ballsy enough to tackle such a feat.

His commitment to creating as many real sets and shooting on as many real locations as possible remains evident, budgets be damned. Given the current state of Hollywood, that Scott could create something that holds together at all feels like a small miracle. Nevermind that it’s pretty entertaining to boot. He wants to transport us with Gladiator II. Personally, I’m in no state to fight it. Ridley is cynical and cackling fun. Sometimes, that just… feels right as an empire dies.

Gladiator II swings swords and struts into theatres starting November 22.

Gladiator II Trailer: