Review Contest: Spartacus-Blood & Sand

[vinci89]

SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND A REVIEW Spartacus is a yarn about a Thracian(Andy Whitefield), a local tribe who fought for Rome only to be deceived by a 'legatus' of Rome, had his wife captured to be made into a slave and himself forced to become a Gladiator. At this point I must tell you that Spartacus is a series that doesn't pretend to be classy and historically accurate. Every five minutes, just to capture your attention there is blood being spilt from a sword or a couple having vigorous sex, this feels awkward and silly in the beginning but you will eventually realize that this is what kept your attention till the finale , that I'll speak off a little later. And so this Thracian, whose real name we will never find out, surprises the blood hungry Roman crowd with his bravery and fighting skills at the arena and soon becomes "Spartacus" the legendary Gladiator. He even displaces the previous champion 'Crixus'(Manu Bennte) and earns a rival. By the time you are half done with the thirteen episode series, you realize you are no longer hooked only for the bloodshed and sex, but the story and characters become fully fleshed out and at times surprisingly relatable. The couple Batiatus(John Hannah) and Leucratia(Lucy Lawless), who own the 'ludus'- the gladiator training center, as repulsive as they are, will keep you wondering what they are up to and almost always manage to make your jaw drop. The sub plots involving the slaves and gladiators never seem unnecessary and all of it ties up neatly in the finale. The actors all do justice to their tough roles and except for Bianca who plays the scheming wife of legatus, all of them get their expressions right. This plays a huge role in grabbing the modern audiences’ attention and seamlessly blends in the psychology of the barbaric Romans to modern viewers, after all no matter how much we have all evolved, don’t basic instincts of anger, lust, jealousy and pride and betrayal still linger on in our blood? This is the foundation upon which the entire series stands on. The finale is a fifty minute gore spectacle that has probably never been attempted on television and is probably the most satisfying season ending of a series. It ties up all the loose ends and is packed with moments that will make you squirm in your seat at the same time smile! It would be unfair to give out any particular scene or plot in the finale , that begin said, it’s one such episode that will have you rejoicing over a fifteen year old brat being stabbed to death! Yes, it sounds grim and sick but I am ready to bet on that. In conclusion, what is it we look for in a serial? Is it entertaining? , is it different?, does it make you think any differently of anything? Will you like a character? And ultimately, Is it worth your time and money? In this case, by Jupiter’s C*@k! It certainly is a big YES.

On one fateful late night, quite foolishly high on caffeine and unable to go to bed, I browsed aimlessly at a video **** site and one particular caught my eye. It was a sex scene, fairly explicit but very stylish, it was followed by a scene of sword fight, again very gore but very stylish. I copied the series name from which the scenes were taken and the next few minutes were spent downloading the first two episodes of Spartacus:Blood and Sand from Itunes. They were tediously predictable but I simply couldn't resist the action and sex scenes. And so I quite shamelessly admit, I started watching it for violence and sex and of course to pass time that lonely night but before I knew it was 4a.m,I had watched four episodes and had become a fan of a series , a few hours back I had not even heard of.

[zenibuka]

Very good review. I love this show ! It's awkward and poorly produced and played, but i don't know, there's something, the Starz style.
When you watch it, it looks like a poor crossover of Gladiator, 400 and... something else. But i just love it for all the reasons you said.

[vinci89]

Thank you , the funny thing is I went the other way around, somehow although I had heard great deal about Gladiator and 300, never saw them...after the comparisons I did watch them and liked it, gladiator especially...

[vinz_lim]

good review. the sad thing is now we don't know how the series will continue after andy pulled out of the show.