Review of Blood and Sand: After ROME, I've always been on the look out for adult-oriented historical TV series that bring ancient eras to life in all their vivid, bloody glory. SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND came out a couple of years ago, and only now have I caved in to see what all the fuss is about; I'm glad I did, because this gladiator drama is every bit the equal of ROME.
I'll admit that the first couple of episodes (the first series runs for 13) left me distinctly ambivalent. The 300-style slow-mo fight scenes and lashings of CGI gore take some getting used to. However, then I started getting to know - and like - the individuals and each episode just seemed to get better and better. On the surface, the show is all about gladiator combat - and there are tons of grisly fight scenes - but at its heart it's another variation on UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, depicting the lives of the masters and their slaves and showing how the two worlds interact.
This is a show brimming with talent. The late, lamented Andy Whitfield is all heart in the titular role, but it's the supporting characters who really stand out. John Hannah is an actor I could never stand, but his hammy, larger-than-life turn as Batiatus is almost legendary. Lucy Lawless brushes aside memories of XENA with the cunning and manipulative Lucretia, and watching her snappy dialogue with Hannah is the stuff of pure joy. On the gladiator front, Peter Mensah and Manu Bennett are all heart as Doctore and Crixus respectively, and Nick Tarabay is a sly delight as the sneaking Ashur.
The series builds on itself as it goes along, increasing the stakes, throwing in some genuine twists and shocks you won't see coming, and eventually culminating in the best finale of any series I've ever seen; to say it's dramatically satisfying is a real understatement. As the credits on the final episode rolled, I realised I'd watched a show that had become the stuff of genius, that had engaged my emotions to the max, and that I'll be gobbling up any future sequels or prequels that come along.
Review of Gods of the Arena: GODS OF THE ARENA is the six-part prequel miniseries following on from BLOOD & SAND, necessitated by star Andy Whitfield's illness. At first I wondered whether the format would work with a different character in the leading role, but I needn't have worried: it turns out to be fantastic entertainment, just as good as the original show.
I particularly like the shift in focus so that Batiatus is now a 'good' character when shown in comparison to his even-more-dastardly colleagues. His character arc is engaging, as are the various cloak-and-dagger shenanigans that take place at his ludos. In particular, the characters of Crixus and Ashur bag decent, unexpected story lines, although I was less enamoured with Gannicus himself. Still top drawer entertainment throughout, excellent fight scenes combined with truly intriguing plotting.
Review of Vengeance: Fans who wondered whether SPARTACUS could continue in the wake of star Andy Whitfield's death needn't have worried: VENGEANCE proves to be a decent follow up to BLOOD & SAND, offering the same kind of plotting and intrigue that fans of the show love, albeit with a few changes to the format.
It's not quite as good as the first couple of seasons, and that's due to some minor flaws in the writing. The stuff involving the Roman characters is a bit repetitive, and it was a mistake to bring back a major female character whose storyline was already spent at the end of BLOOD & SAND. Similarly, I was disappointed in the way Ashur (my favourite gladiator) becomes a stock villain rather than the multi-layered personality of the previous shows. And, let's face it, none of the episodes could ever hope to equal the brilliance of BLOOD & SAND's season finale, KILL THEM ALL.
It's still great entertainment though. The fights - and there are plenty - look better than ever, more detailed and almost 3D in places. It's as if the cameras are offering twice as much detail and quality as previously. The sex and violence have been upped, and the blood looks much less CGI-like than in the original show. Episodes five and 10 of this show are particularly exciting, both offering rewarding climaxes to carefully-build sub-plotting.
Review of War of the Damned: Wow. Wow. Wow. WAR OF THE DAMNED ends the SPARTACUS series on a real high, proving from the outset to be an immediate improvement over the predecessor, VENGEANCE. The plots feel deeper and more complex, the characters are more nuanced and intriguing, the story arc has a wider and more dramatic feel to it. It's clear that things are moving towards the climax, so there's little of that feeling of 'treading water' that marred the previous series, particularly with the Roman characters.
One of the best things about this season is the way the characters have changed and matured, given all that they've gone through. The Romans are far more interesting, too, and much better than the stock villain Glabor. Crassus is particularly good, because there's a great actor playing him, and you also feel that he's not such a bad guy really. The guy playing Caesar is a delight, too, and I hope the mooted spin-off series emerges with him in the starring role.
Elsewhere, production values seem better and more impressive; there are larger scale fights, packed with effects that don't disappoint. The action is more plentiful and brutal than ever, with some truly eye-popping visuals to be enjoyed. The first seven episodes are tremendously good in their own right, but then the last three episodes go somewhere else, reaching a level of profundity you wouldn't expect to see in a pulpy TV show like this. The climax is nothing less than riveting.
I'll admit that the first couple of episodes (the first series runs for 13) left me distinctly ambivalent. The 300-style slow-mo fight scenes and lashings of CGI gore take some getting used to. However, then I started getting to know - and like - the individuals and each episode just seemed to get better and better. On the surface, the show is all about gladiator combat - and there are tons of grisly fight scenes - but at its heart it's another variation on UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, depicting the lives of the masters and their slaves and showing how the two worlds interact.
This is a show brimming with talent. The late, lamented Andy Whitfield is all heart in the titular role, but it's the supporting characters who really stand out. John Hannah is an actor I could never stand, but his hammy, larger-than-life turn as Batiatus is almost legendary. Lucy Lawless brushes aside memories of XENA with the cunning and manipulative Lucretia, and watching her snappy dialogue with Hannah is the stuff of pure joy. On the gladiator front, Peter Mensah and Manu Bennett are all heart as Doctore and Crixus respectively, and Nick Tarabay is a sly delight as the sneaking Ashur.
The series builds on itself as it goes along, increasing the stakes, throwing in some genuine twists and shocks you won't see coming, and eventually culminating in the best finale of any series I've ever seen; to say it's dramatically satisfying is a real understatement. As the credits on the final episode rolled, I realised I'd watched a show that had become the stuff of genius, that had engaged my emotions to the max, and that I'll be gobbling up any future sequels or prequels that come along.
Review of Gods of the Arena: GODS OF THE ARENA is the six-part prequel miniseries following on from BLOOD & SAND, necessitated by star Andy Whitfield's illness. At first I wondered whether the format would work with a different character in the leading role, but I needn't have worried: it turns out to be fantastic entertainment, just as good as the original show.
I particularly like the shift in focus so that Batiatus is now a 'good' character when shown in comparison to his even-more-dastardly colleagues. His character arc is engaging, as are the various cloak-and-dagger shenanigans that take place at his ludos. In particular, the characters of Crixus and Ashur bag decent, unexpected story lines, although I was less enamoured with Gannicus himself. Still top drawer entertainment throughout, excellent fight scenes combined with truly intriguing plotting.
Review of Vengeance: Fans who wondered whether SPARTACUS could continue in the wake of star Andy Whitfield's death needn't have worried: VENGEANCE proves to be a decent follow up to BLOOD & SAND, offering the same kind of plotting and intrigue that fans of the show love, albeit with a few changes to the format.
It's not quite as good as the first couple of seasons, and that's due to some minor flaws in the writing. The stuff involving the Roman characters is a bit repetitive, and it was a mistake to bring back a major female character whose storyline was already spent at the end of BLOOD & SAND. Similarly, I was disappointed in the way Ashur (my favourite gladiator) becomes a stock villain rather than the multi-layered personality of the previous shows. And, let's face it, none of the episodes could ever hope to equal the brilliance of BLOOD & SAND's season finale, KILL THEM ALL.
It's still great entertainment though. The fights - and there are plenty - look better than ever, more detailed and almost 3D in places. It's as if the cameras are offering twice as much detail and quality as previously. The sex and violence have been upped, and the blood looks much less CGI-like than in the original show. Episodes five and 10 of this show are particularly exciting, both offering rewarding climaxes to carefully-build sub-plotting.
Review of War of the Damned: Wow. Wow. Wow. WAR OF THE DAMNED ends the SPARTACUS series on a real high, proving from the outset to be an immediate improvement over the predecessor, VENGEANCE. The plots feel deeper and more complex, the characters are more nuanced and intriguing, the story arc has a wider and more dramatic feel to it. It's clear that things are moving towards the climax, so there's little of that feeling of 'treading water' that marred the previous series, particularly with the Roman characters.
One of the best things about this season is the way the characters have changed and matured, given all that they've gone through. The Romans are far more interesting, too, and much better than the stock villain Glabor. Crassus is particularly good, because there's a great actor playing him, and you also feel that he's not such a bad guy really. The guy playing Caesar is a delight, too, and I hope the mooted spin-off series emerges with him in the starring role.
Elsewhere, production values seem better and more impressive; there are larger scale fights, packed with effects that don't disappoint. The action is more plentiful and brutal than ever, with some truly eye-popping visuals to be enjoyed. The first seven episodes are tremendously good in their own right, but then the last three episodes go somewhere else, reaching a level of profundity you wouldn't expect to see in a pulpy TV show like this. The climax is nothing less than riveting.