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.
Product Review:
When "Spartacus - Blood and Sand" first appeared on Starz I was hoping for at the very least a minor "Rome" rip-off. So enamored of the HBO series I was hungry for more drama, intrigue, sex and blood in the Republican era of ancient Rome that I reluctantly decided to give "Spartacus" a chance.
The first episode was for me a bit of a snooze and heavily influenced by "300" in it's dark visual style. But I did find the performances arresting enough to give episode two a go. That is when "Spartacus" takes off and soars to bloody glory. The story grabs you by the gut leading you on into a world of high drama, sex, murder, lust, greed, sadism, that is both thrilling and mind-blowing. If you ever wondered if you could actually watch a gladiatorial contest, this is the test for you! Visceral, bloody splendor unfolds in the arena of Capua. If you have a weak stomach then you are in for some cinematic cgi shocks! I found the whole thing thrilling but many times I had to shut my eyes to the on screen gore. Long gone are the days of showing just the top of Pompey's severed head as in "Cleopatra" (1963) in an olive amphora. Now the severed heads go flying though the air spurting gallons of blood.
But the real treasure in Spartacus is found in the interesting writing that challenges and often elevates the story to a poetic, moving and often comedic brilliance. Sharp witty, repartee in a pseudo kind of Latin meets Shakespeare shows how varied and multi leveled our English language can be.
Then there are the performances by the cast. Andy Whitfield as the hero of the slave rebellion is magnificent. A real find for the show and brings a sexy gravitas to the proceedings. John Hannah as Batiatus takes the bull by the horns and holds nothing back in his bold and fun portrait of the owner of the Lunista. Gladiatorial nemesis and blood brother to Spartacus is Crixus played by Manu Bennett. A hunk who can act the hell out of this part. He is a joy to watch as he battles for his forbidden love entangled in the midst of a demanding mistress' lust. As the spoilt Ilithyia wife to the man who brought Spartacus to his fate as a gladiator the marvelous Viva Bianca is immensely wicked and immensely fun to watch. Then there is the best surprise of the entire show, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia wife of Batiatus and domina of the Lunista. This cunning, conniving, depraved, wicked, intelligent woman of the first century B.C. is the roll of a lifetime for Miss Lawless. She is magnificent, and splendoriforus in the part. A real treat that is the cherry on the top of the Roman feast that is "Spartacus - Blood and Sand".
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