Product Description Betrayed by the Romans. Forced into slavery. Reborn as a Gladiator. The classic tale of the Republic’s most infamous rebel comes alive in the graphic and visceral new series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man. More than a gladiator. He must become a legend. .com The "sword and sandals" genre isn't exactly known for its subtlety and restraint, but even by those standards, Spartacus: Blood and Sand is deliriously, delightfully over the top. Viewers familiar with the 1960 film starring Kirk Douglas and directed by Stanley Kubrick, the best-known version of the Spartacus tale, will recognize the basic outline of the story: a Thracian warrior with a beautiful, loving wife is betrayed by his Roman "allies" and forced into slavery, whereupon he distinguishes himself as a gladiator nonpareil and, after enduring countless indignities, leads his brethren and others in a rebellion against their oppressors. But there's a lot more Caligula than Kubrick in the 13 first-season episodes (each a bit less than an hour long) of this Starz television series, which stars Andy Whitfield in the title role and also features Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) as the wicked wife of Spartacus's owner. The fight scenes are highly stylized (the entire production seems to have taken a cue from the surreal, painterly look of 300) but extraordinarily brutal, featuring multiple dismemberments and decapitations amidst seas of slow-motion, CGI-generated blood; a gladiatorial battle in episode 5 pitting Spartacus and his rival-turned-ally Crixus (Manu Bennett) against a monster named Theokoles is definitely not for the squeamish, but that's only one of many such scenes. There's also ample sex and nudity, as the couplings involving various studly gladiators and lustful Roman noblewomen are like salacious combat between Chippendales dancers and Victoria's Secret models. Meanwhile, the personal relationships are the stuff of soap operas, with the Romans in particular depicted as relentlessly decadent, duplicitous, and power-hungry. If this all sounds outrageously entertaining, it is, though perhaps not for everyone. And although the future of the show (which was executive produced by Spider-Man director Sam Raimi) is in doubt due to Whitfield's ongoing battle with cancer, we'll always have this season to revel in. Bonus material in the four-disc set includes audio commentary on a variety of episodes and a batch of featurettes, most prominently a 15-minute "making of" documentary. --Sam Graham
R**M
GLORIOUS
This show is powerful, sexy, bloody, coniving, violent... It really touches on all the things you know and love about Rome at it's height and the gladitorium is a glorious story to be told. It takes a view of a famous gladiator named Spartacus in the ring as his real name was never recovered by historians. YES... this is about a REAL gladiator that existed in Roman times. Now hollywood ofcourse takes liberty to make a more interesting story but this show excites it's viewers with each and every episode. My only gripe is that the blood is done through CGI and looks so disgustingly fake you can't help but laugh. That's it though... that's the only bad thing... everything else is FANTASTIC and keeps you engaged as the story gets more and more interesting. Be aware that the main actor of "Spartacus" died during production so after the first few seasons another actor took the role. (just like Dumbledore from harry potter) Great show just don't let your kids watch it... it's not game of thrones level but it's up there.
J**R
Better than expected
When I originally watched the pilot episode, I thought the show looked like it might be fun, but that it would probably be a gratuitously violent semi-parody of 300. The violence was pretty stylized. All the previews in the paper and on the web talked about how bloody it would be and how there would be lots of nudity. So after that I waited several weeks before I saw the next episode, only half-interested. Finally I saw the second episode, and it got more interesting, then the third, and let me tell you, they had me. Two days later I had finished the entire season, looking bleary-eyed at work, but feeling very satisfied. It is now one of my favorite shows on television.It's true there is a lot of violence, and nudity (both male and female) is pretty common. However, the story is very good, and the filming and style improves after the pilot. There are several good plot twists through just this season. You're never quite sure who the villain is, or if there even is one, until they're revealed.The heroes are the strongest, not necessarily the saints. The series is undeniably and unashamedly masculine, which is quite rare on television, and for me that was actually refreshing. What morality they do portray is a masculine one, based on loyalty, strength, and honor. However women certainly play a strong role in the story and they are as ambitious as dangerous as the men.The dialog is unique, they went for a flowery style to give it an archaic feel. It's not as good as Deadwood (in which the dialog was simply phenomenal), it does serve its purpose. Aside from a couple of minor exceptions it doesn't devolve into exaggerated wordplay, and there are some great memorable lines.CGI is used constantly to create a hyper real graphic novel-like visual. Vibrant colors and dramatic backdrops flood the screen. Unfortunately you can see through the CGI effects in some cases, they will use CGI to impale someone for instance, and they can't keep the sword moving with the body. I noticed that a few times, but they cut the scenes short so it wasn't distracting. They did very well with the budget they had, considering, but you'll notice an occasional glitch. Overall the effect is beautiful.I was very surprised to enjoy it as much as I did.Unfortunately, the future of the show is looking grim, since Andy Whitfield dropped out of the show to battle cancer. They have a prequel half-season airing in 2011, but after that I don't know what will happen. This first season was well worth the money to me, though. Even if it doesn't continue, and even though I've seen it twice already, I know I'll be watching this again in the future.
C**N
Bold TV that is told like gladiators fought: no quarter given, no mercy shown.
Yeah, the show's harsh and hard to watch if you're even the least bit squeamish. The gore is sometimes over the top and they don't hold back on sex scenes. And to be honest the scenery (all those nearly-naked men fighting each other) and the photographic style probably got my attention, but probably the biggest part of the show that appeals to me is the satisfying, well-motivated character development and the intense story lines that never leave loose threads hanging.The focus the story has gives show a sort of elegance that I really admire. When TV tells a good story, it's very good and it's thanks to the beautifully structured stories and well-motivated characters that had made the series extremely satisfying.Yet, if there is such a thing as writing to the death, sine missione (no quarter given, no mercy shown), then this is it.Show Creator and Head Writer (Show Runner) Steven S. DeKnight has delivered what is possibly the best TV show I've ever seen and has shown me what TV really could be. If beloved characters need to die in order to move the story forward, he doesn't hold back. That's rare in TV where I think so many times writers and producers tend to be far more cautious. A writer should be willing to do anything in order to tell the most effective story he or she can and this is exactly how this show is written: show no fear and take no prisoners and write like it is a battle fought to the death.I would love this show for that alone, the fearlessness of the writing. Yet there is more to love, especially in the person who plays Spartacus, star Andy Whitfield...He's perfect as Spartacus, he gives the character a sense of humanity even in a time when few people were humane. He's noble, but deadly, fierce and passionate too and Andy portrays all sides of Spartacus flawlessly.The other actors, almost without exception (there are a few missteps here and there) are all as committed to this show and willing to do whatever it takes to tell the best story they can. They all give wonderfully complex and passionate performances. Lucy Lawless and John Hannah are particularly a joy to watch.The graphic style is amazing. It's beautifully filmed, especially with the way the shots are designed to look like graphic novel panels. The sets and costumes are equally as gorgeous.Take a look at this show, if you haven't already, if only because it's one of a kind. Starz's tagline for it as `A bold new original series unlike anything on television' is probably the understatement of the century."Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is possibly my favorite show. I can't wait for the Blu-Ray to arrive so I can see the whole thing all over again, and again, and again.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
2 weeks ago
