Just yesterday I watched the third episode of the prequel series to this series, which I watched when it first came out.
So, to start with, so far you know that I’ve watched the entire series and am ready for more, so you know that I liked it! I can’t wait for the next episode!
This review will pretty much cover both series, as they are similar in tone and style and so on. But do watch ‘Blood and Sand’ first, as the new series ‘Gods of the Arena’ is a prequel and should therefore be watched second.
The show stars Australian Andy Whitfield as the titular character, a Thracian warrior who is forced to become a gladiator slave under Roman rule. It also stars John Hannah as Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of the Ludus (Gladiator training grounds) in which Spartacus is taken, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, his wife and Peter Mensah (the guy who gets kicked down the hole in 300) as Doctore, the gladiator trainer.
The show follows Spartacus career as a gladiator as he strives to earn his freedom and rescue his beloved wife.
On first glance, the show comes across as hugely gratuitous. Blood pours, no, gushes, no, explodes from wounds like volcanic eruptions, sex scenes are regular and not always necessary. But the show knows what it is doing. It knows that it is gratuitous and it revels in it. Much the same way that the ancient Romans it portrays revelled in the activity themselves.
Behind all the gore and softcore porn though is an enjoyable story. Each character has their own tale, wound together to piece together the whole thing. There is more growth and develepment in each individual than many main characters in other shows achieve in series runs.
Batiatus, the Ludus lanista (or owner) takes the forefront of much the show, while he uses his slaves to gain reputation in Rome with often deceptive, manipulative and underhanded tactics. He is driven to success and cares only for himself and his wife. Though his culture would probably give him little reason to care for the slaves beneath him. Lucretia more often shows a compassionate side, but shares the same ambition for social climbing.
There is a great friendship between the characters of Spartacus and Varro, a gladiator who sold himself to the Ludus in order to pay off debts for his family. They earn each others friendship while training and trying to earn the respect of the brotherhood of gladiators who have already proved their worth.
Much the same is shown of other characters, and quite often the friendships are tested to the limit, drawn to terrible choices by their superiors and the laws of the land. The drama created is incredible. I would not want to ruin it for anyone who has yet to see the show, but the scene when Spartacus and Varro are really tested by a visiting dignitary, is just incredible television. I will not say more about it, it must be viewed to get the full impact.
The show is chock full of this drama and tension, intermixed with the excitement of battle and the joy of sex.
The sex, as I said, is the most gratuitous part of the show, but I feel its purpose is to represent the decadence of the age. Expect full frontal male and female nudity, and both hetero and homosexual pairings.
The violence, though it can as gratuitous as the sex, is more often used for its dramatic purposes, and in a tale about gladiators, definately is important to the story. The gore tends to tone down in the more plot important scenes.
Even the language they use is over the top in its coarseness, but for much the same effect. There are endless wonderful lines that use cursing to express the characters meaning in ways that decent language could not quite manage along the lines of “Once again the gods spread the cheeks and ram cock in f**king ass!” when referring to some bad luck. Doctore too has a wonderful introduction speech to new recuits.
The style is wonderful. Some have nicknamed the show ‘300, the TV Series’, which is understandable, as it has similar tones and artistic design. There is a lot of CGI, which is mainly to recreate the glory of Rome as it once stood, and to add the extra gore effects, but it is put to good use. I am not usually a fan of overused CGI, but in this show, it is part of the artistic license, much like 300, and in a way it is the like shows signature. It is not out to be ultra realistic in every way, and for the most part it realises that its function is to entertain.
And that it does. Very few shows entertain quite as much as this one has in recent years. I highly recommend it to anyone, except the squeamish.
Originally Published: 02/06/11
