Please don't spend money on this.

one of my absolute favorites!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The Robe starred Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, and Victor Mature. It was a biblical epic about a Roman soldier who felt guilty condemning Jesus to death. The film was such a success, Hollywood spawned a sequel, without the two leads, but starring Victor Mature in a reprise of his role as Demetrius, a Christian slave.Susan Hayward joins him in the film, as does Michael Rennie, Deborah Paget, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Egan, and Anne Bancroft. Without Richard Burton's acting, the movie turns into a corny, over-the-top Ben-Hur wannabe. I've only seen Victor Mature in two good performances: one was After the Fox, in which he basically spoofed himself, and the other was Kiss of Death, which was more famous for Richard Widmark's breakthrough performance than Mature's dramatics. In Demetrius and the Gladiators, he gives a typical "Victor Immature" performance, and it turns into a B-picture. But if you're nuts about gladiator or biblical movies, it's not the worst one in the world. Trust me, I've seen that one.

This film was a sequel to "The Robe" and was immediately shot after the end of this film, retaining the cast, crew and sets. However, they present us a better script: it's still necessary to make an effort to believe in all the story, but it's credibility has generally improved. One of the most unbelievable moments its when Caligula orders to confiscate Jesus tunic believing that it could confer some power to him, when he saw himself as a god. But these far-fetched moments are punctual. The absence of Richard Burton, which I didn't like to see in the first film due to his bad acting, was another improvement, allowing Demetrius to come out and be the center of our attention. His course throughout the film will be an efficient and effective test of faith. These character was played by Victor Mature, who gives us a very good work. Michael Rennie had little time to show his talent but never seemed quite alright in the role of St. Peter while, on the other hand, Susan Hayward was perfect in the role of the Machiavellian and treacherous Messalina. Jay Robinson retained the role of Caligula, who performed with quality and panache but no big surprises. Debra Paget played a minor role, as a love interest for Demetrius, but what she did was well done. Much more interesting was William Marshall, who gave life to an African gladiator who is converted to Christianity by the example of his companion in the arena. Sets and costumes result from the recycling of material used in "The Robe", so there are no surprises or improvements. These material, however, is considerably better, more convincing and historically accurate than what we can see in some much more famous and successful biblical films of this period.So, far from being a rehab for "The Robe", this movie seems to have learned from the mistakes of that film, being better and more enjoyable in almost every aspect. However, perfection or artistry is still far from being achieved.

I love a good sword and sandal epic and this sequel to "The Robe" pretty much fits the bill. The hard-to-dislike Victor Mature this time steps up to the title part of the recent Christian convert Demetrius who for resisting the marauding Romans search for the holy relic in his care, finds himself dragooned into gladiator school only to later renounce his faith when his visiting young female admirer is apparently killed at the hands of some of his mob- handed fellow-fighters. Not to worry, chief disciple Peter seeks him out just in time and pricks his conscience enough to turn him back from a whole host of commandments he's recently broken, mostly at the urging of Messalina, the wanton wife of Emperor-in-waiting old, safe and sound Claudius.The sets, probably carried over from its predecessor, are grandiose indeed and the action sequences are fine for their time. I looked closely at the scene where Demetrius makes his name as a gladiator by killing three tigers in the arena and they looked real enough to me. The fight sequences are okay too. Of course films like this, with everyone pretty much wearing dresses, tend to see the actors either ham or camp it up and there's little doubt that Jay Campbell as the notoriously deranged Emperor Caligula is doing both while Mature however plays it pretty straight for the most part. Susan Hayward vamps it up as the loose Messalina while Michael Rennie is positively saintly as Peter.Some of the dialogue betrays its twentieth century origins such as when Demetrius warns that his old camp is likely to be "wiped out" by the Romans while Lucia's miraculous recovery takes some swallowing too. Nevertheless, this film which I always remembered fondly from my youth, managed to satisfactorily entertain me again and even if it's very much hanging onto the hem of its more illustrious predecessor, makes for a good enough entry in the list of watchable Hollywood epics in the 50's.

A sequel to 1953's "The Robe" starring Richard Burton, Jean Simmons and Victor Mature, this film picks up following the martyrdom of Marcellus Gallio -- Burton -- and Diana -- Simmons -- due to their unwavering faith in Jesus Christ.In this movie, Victor Mature reprises his role as Demetrius, as does Jay Robinson as Emperor Caligula, and Michael Rennie as the Apostle Peter. There are a number of other well-known actors as well. Please refer to the cast listing.While this movie has some Biblical themes and deals with faith, it is not strictly a Bible-based movie per se. In other words, it does not follow the lives of Jesus Christ, the Apostles or any of the Old Testament prophets or patriarchs. Rather, it concerns what happens to the former slave Demetrius after the events which are portrayed in "The Robe". It has more gladiator scenes than religious scenes.Briefly, due to an altercation with Roman soldiers while trying to protect the Robe, Demetrius is taken prisoner, and is then forced to enter a Roman gladiator school. Initially, Demetrius refuses to fight, or to kill another man because of his Christian convictions. However, following a series of events in which it appears that his love interest Lucia -- played by Debra Paget who was also Joshua's love interest Lilia in "The Ten Commandments" -- has died, Demetrius does an about face, turns against God and his faith, because very worldly, and begins to kill his opponents. Furthermore, Demetrius gets a taste of power and popularity when Caligula makes him a tribune following his victory over multiple opponents in the arena.The storyline includes a variety of plots and subplots, including Emperor Caligula's endeavors to acquire the Robe, Claudius' wife Messalina's romantic escapades with the backslidden Demetrius, and Claudius' patience in waiting to become the next emperor.Ultimately, Demetrius repents of his backslidden state and returns to the Christian fold when it is revealed that Lucia is not really dead, and her health is restored. Caligula is assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard while sitting in the arena; and Claudius is proclaimed the new emperor, with his wife Messalina by his side. Claudius promises to not bother the Christians, just as long as they obey Roman laws.Overall, the acting is good, although I personally didn't really become attached to any of the characters.If you are willing to overlook the Biblical inaccuracies, as well as the errors concerning actual Roman history, and just accept this as a fictional work regarding early First Century Rome and gladiatorial fights, you may enjoy this film.