IGN
APRIL 22, 2010
Spartacus: Blood and Sand is one of the early surprise hits of the year. With very little fanfare, this little gem of a series sprung up on my radar mere days before the premiere. Not impressed initially, I continued to watch, giving Spartacus the fighting chance it deserved. By the end of Season 1, I'm thrilled that I had the opportunity to review this gem of a show. Created by Steven S. DeKnight, Spartacus is a dark, violent and fascinating look at the life of a gladiator through the eyes of a Thracian slave seeking vengeance.
The series' premiere episode feels detached from the rest of the series. While "The Red Serpent" chronicles Spartacus' (Andy Whitfield) journey from noble Thracian to enslaved warrior, it lacks much of what makes this series so great in later episodes. You'll find none of the Roman political intrigue, subterfuge or any of the memorable characters that we meet later in the series. It's also weighed down by trying to mimic movies like 300and Gladiator. Movies that some may appreciate in their own right, but give this opening foray into the world of Spartacus an uninspired feel. Many, including myself, were not convinced that this series would ever achieve anything more than mediocrity. Thankfully, we were wrong.
As we are introduced to the city of Capua and the world of Batiatus' (John Hannah) Ludus, we quickly discover that this series is much more than the mindless display of violence, sex and gore that "The Red Serpent" would have us believe. We're introduced to a fascinating and diverse supporting cast, some of whom develop even more intriguing stories than the titled character. And while there is an abundance of violence, sex and gore, it's the exceptionally told stories that eventually steal the show.
Andy Whitfield as Spartacus.
By far, the greatest strength of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, is in its intricate storytelling. The first three or four episodes work to introduce us to the hellish world of the gladiator; giving us a very straightforward rundown of the key players and their ambitions. Soon after, the stories shift into a complex stratagem of ruthless, power hungry Romans whose duplicity is only outweighed by their lust for power.
From about "Delicate Things" onward, it's almost as if these vile, deceitful (yet utterly fantastic!) characters are continuously trying to top their scheming from the prior episode. For example, in "Old Wounds" Batiatus hatches a plan to frame one of his competitors for a murder. Batiatus' machinations are reminiscent of something lifted from a Mission: Impossible episode. The entire season is filled with these brilliantly hatched schemes.
While Spartacus may be the title character, he shares the spotlight equally with many of the supporting cast. The story of Crixus (Manu Bennett), the Champion of Capua, takes center stage in the early half of the season as his sexual relationship with Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) is brought to the forefront. Crixus, who initially comes off as a brutish, mindless slave, proves to be anything but. We discover a conflicted man who lives for the glory of the fight yet is clearly missing something in his life. His relationship with Lucretia brings him little comfort and he soon discovers the love of one of her handmaidens.
Crixus' story is so compelling that, for a time, Spartacus becomes a secondary character. Don't be surprised if you find yourself rooting for Crixus, even when he goes toe-to-toe with Spartacus.
I love history, and history heroes, my favorite movie is Braveheart, so i cant believe i wasnt intrigued with this show before!
I knew of Spartacus from history, but when i heard of him it was in junior school, in boring history class, so i wasnt much intruiged with it, then few years later i watched some movie with i think Goran Visnjic and Rhona Mitra, and it wasnt anything special, so those two images in my mind were connected to name Spartacus, so when i heard of the show i didnt want to watch it because of those experiences!
Also i watched movie Gabriel! i liked the movie, but really liked the actor! He just had something!
Than two weeks ago, i was watching Tv changing channels, and i stopped when i saw guys in boat, with chains, i watched the episode i got really intruiged, so i downloaded all the episodes and started watching, i really loved the show, altough some scenes were brutal, there was alot of nudity and sex, but i guess thats what made the show realistic! Last episode of first season is best episode of whole show! ITs amazing episode, especially that part when Spartacus jumps in the air, with help of Crixus and the whole thing begins, it gave me chills, and i dont remember watching anything before that gave me chills! When i found out that Andy died, i couldnt believe it, i think he was and would have been a great actor, i watched trailer for his "Be here now" documentary, and i cried, and i cant remember the last time i cried! after that it was hard to watch the show, with time i got used to it, it was still amazing show, fight scenes through whole show were amazing to me!
I love a lot of actores in the show, Andy as Spartacus offcourse, but also i love Crixus, Onomeus, and all others but especially those three! Through the last two seasons, in every episode i thought to myself, this show is awesome, and it would much more awesome, if Andy was there, i really liked the other actor who played Spartacus, but cant get over Andy death! I would loved that Andy lived, and that that actor Liam played some other role in the show, also it would be much better if original Nevia stayed, the other girl was okay, but when you get used to someone its weird to see someone else to take their role!
I knew of Spartacus from history, but when i heard of him it was in junior school, in boring history class, so i wasnt much intruiged with it, then few years later i watched some movie with i think Goran Visnjic and Rhona Mitra, and it wasnt anything special, so those two images in my mind were connected to name Spartacus, so when i heard of the show i didnt want to watch it because of those experiences!
Also i watched movie Gabriel! i liked the movie, but really liked the actor! He just had something!
Than two weeks ago, i was watching Tv changing channels, and i stopped when i saw guys in boat, with chains, i watched the episode i got really intruiged, so i downloaded all the episodes and started watching, i really loved the show, altough some scenes were brutal, there was alot of nudity and sex, but i guess thats what made the show realistic! Last episode of first season is best episode of whole show! ITs amazing episode, especially that part when Spartacus jumps in the air, with help of Crixus and the whole thing begins, it gave me chills, and i dont remember watching anything before that gave me chills! When i found out that Andy died, i couldnt believe it, i think he was and would have been a great actor, i watched trailer for his "Be here now" documentary, and i cried, and i cant remember the last time i cried! after that it was hard to watch the show, with time i got used to it, it was still amazing show, fight scenes through whole show were amazing to me!
I love a lot of actores in the show, Andy as Spartacus offcourse, but also i love Crixus, Onomeus, and all others but especially those three! Through the last two seasons, in every episode i thought to myself, this show is awesome, and it would much more awesome, if Andy was there, i really liked the other actor who played Spartacus, but cant get over Andy death! I would loved that Andy lived, and that that actor Liam played some other role in the show, also it would be much better if original Nevia stayed, the other girl was okay, but when you get used to someone its weird to see someone else to take their role!
Full Movie on ZumVo
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