Ridley Scott’s 2000 sword-and-sandal epic “Gladiator” closed on a memorable shot that became an indelible image associated with the film: star Russell Crowe’s hands, callused and battle-worn, softly caressing strands of wheat, as the spirit of his character, Maximus, makes his way home in the afterlife. Scott references this image in the opening of his sequel, “Gladiator II.” Rough, thick hands plunge into a sack of harvested grain, feeling the fruits of their labor.

These two similar shots thereby become the thesis of this faithful sequel. It is the same movie, slightly tweaked, and constantly referencing and reminding you of the original, delivering what you already loved about “Gladiator”: strength and honor, blood and guts.

The hands that open “Gladiator II” belong to Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). Once the crown prince of Rome, he fled at age 12 for his safety and is now a farmer in Numidia, North Africa.

He and his wife (Yuval Gonen) live an idyllic life of domestic bliss, interrupted by Roman incursions. It’s one such incursion, led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), that returns Lucius to his home city, now as an enslaved gladiator, as his father was, and as a widower, as his father was.

Lucius has a knack for showmanship, with moves he stole from dad, but he’s more feral, going tooth-to-tooth with a nasty baboon in a podunk ring outside the city. He catches the eye of gladiator agent Macrinus (Denzel Washington), much in the same way Maximus caught the eye of Proximo (Oliver Reed), and Macrinus is going to make Lucius a star.

This is a film of doubles, a sequel about a son, repeated characters, dual identities and twice the violence in the Colosseum. So, of course, twin emperors rule Rome in an uneasy brotherly alliance.

You liked creepy Joaquin Phoenix in the first movie? How about two of them? Faces painted white, surrounded by concubines, Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) are utterly taken with Lucius, the barbarian who can recite Virgil while covered in another man’s blood.

Lucius becomes the toast of the Colosseum, leading the other gladiators to victory against all manner of beast.

Lucius is hellbent on revenge against Acacius; his mother is desperate to save her son from the Colosseum; and Macrinus has his own designs on power in Rome. Therein lies the Achilles’ heel of “Gladiator II” — too much plot to care about these characters.

Because there’s so much going on, what “Gladiator II” is lacking from its forebear is sophisticated storytelling, deep character work and nuanced messaging. The script by David Scarpa and Peter Craig falls flat because it just tells you what it’s about on the surface.

The cast is uniformly excellent, including the peacocking Washington, and the soulful Irish actor Mescal, looking like the statue of David come to life in fierce, animalistic form.

“Gladiator II” maps closely onto the original film’s structure and style, so there’s not much about it that is surprising or unexpected. The film itself is a son, made from the same DNA, in the same image.

MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence)

Running time: 2:28

How to watch: In theaters