Spartacus: War of the Damned (2013) Review

It has been a lot of fun, going back and watching the seasons of Spartacus in preparation for watching the newest tale of the franchise. I have now got to the fourth season of the show War of the Damned and it is the final season before this new spinoff show and I have watched it all and here is my review. The premise of the season sees Spartacus recruit a larger army of slaves which sees Rome go to great lengths to stop him, leading to an inevitable final confrontation. 

Main Character

Liam McIntyre gets to play Spartacus again and he is great. I really feel this season is where the character had huge development and really grew as a leader of these slaves and see them get more then just revenge against Rome. Overall, it probably wasn't easy for McIntyre to step into this role but he nails it and is truly worthy of this epic role. 

Supporting Characters

Manu Bennett is back as Crixus and he is great. He really steps up this season as a leader of the slave army. But as this progresses there does become some friction between him and Spartacus but it is done so well that it doesn't make him a villain but just another protagonist with a different opinion. 

Dustin Clare reprises his role as Gannicus and he is such a great character and his more laid back entertaining manner is really fun and something different with the other characters. However, he has more character development this season and it is handled really well. 

With pretty much all of the villains being killed off over the previous 3 seasons, we are introduced to these new villains with the main one being Simon Merrells as Crassus and I loved this character. Sure, he is a bad guy but he has true honour and respect for the opposition. He isn't as cartoony as previous villains and is a truly worthy foe. 

Another new villain is Julius Caesar played by Todd Lasance and he adds plenty of charisma and is the more cartoony villain which I think was necessary. His arc over the show is one of the most interesting and entertaining from a bad guys perspective. 

There are so many people in this show and everybody is fantastic, so many great performances and characters that get time to really shine. 

Story

The story of the show has really evolved and I really like where it went this season. Seeing the slave army really try and take the fight to the Romans is really fun but it is equally matched by the interesting things taking place amongst the Romans. The characters are given well written story arcs and it culminates in one of the best finales, I have seen that really felt worth it for fans of the show. 

Script

This show is really well written, as I have mentioned the characters are given great character arcs that felt worthwhile for our protagonists. There is real emotional drama, especially towards the end of the show mixed with bits of humour to make these characters that are larger then life feel more human. 

Style

The show carries on the feeling of sex and violence and glorifies it in brutal nature and that really helps make the show stand out. There are some truly horrific moments with great action, but I can't stop in my slight complaints on the over use of slow motion and how it became just too repetitive and took away from these great performers. 

Overall

Overall, Spartacus: War of the Damned is a fantastic show that culminates the story of Spartacus incredibly well and delivers a series high in terms of quality. It is this show at its best and I am really glad that they nailed the ending of the show. 

Rating - 9/10

Spartacus: Vengeance (2012) Review

After the terrible passing of lead star Andy Whitfield, the future of Spartacus was in balance, that was until a recasting was decided on in order to continue the story in all of its glory. I have watched this season of the show Vengeance and here is my review. The premise of the season sees the former slaves led by Spartacus on the run from the forces of Rome, while they attempt to free other slaves to join them in there cause. 

Main Character

As mentioned above, we have a new actor playing the titular character and that is Liam McIntyre and he is great in the role. He doesn't try and just copy Whitfield but adds his own part to the role and really delivers. This is a character who is more of a leader and has to focus on more then the arena and winning and McIntyre takes over the role admirably and as good as anybody could. 

Supporting Characters

Manu Bennett is once again playing Crixus and it is nice to see him and Spartacus actually get along unlike the majority of the previous season. Manu is just a great actor and he really nails the mix of aggression and sadness in the character. 

A character who has been in all of the previous seasons but I haven't mentioned is Ashur played by Nick E. Tarabay and he is just delightful here. He is so evil and slimy that he totally revels in it as Ashur once again attempts to worm himself into a position of real worth. 

Dustin Clare is back as Gannicus, he was the lead character in Gods of the Arena but he plays a supporting role here and he is so much fun. It is great fun to see him interact with the characters in the current timeline and he is once again so cool and Whitty that makes him such a great addition. 

Craig Parker reprises his role as Glaber and this is the season that he is most frequent and he does a good job in taking over the main villain role with a wonderfully over the top evil performance and I did have fun watching him here. 

The rest of the cast are all great with Lucy Lawless and Peter Mensah once again giving great performances in there roles. 

Story

The story is very different to the previous seasons, it is away from the arena and the training of gladiators and basically sees two sides waging war. It is handled well and it shows real progression in the main heroes and how they have progressed throughout the show. However, because of this there is so much going on and I think there was quite a bit, especially in the first half of the season that I found a bit dull and questioning whether it was really needed. Though, I must say this is probably my favourite finale of the three seasons so far. 

Script

The script is good, it still has that dramatic dialogue that you would expect as the different personalities clash on both sides of the war. There was probably a little bit of more humour in this series and when it is sprinkled in, I think it works. 

Style

No surprises that the style of the show has a lot of violence, politics and sex and it delivers it in abundance which keeps it standing out from most shows as something that is really visceral to the eyes. However, the pacing isn't at its best here as I mentioned above that there is just so much going on that it doesn't always feel developed. Also, I feel like there was way more slow-mo used to possibly hide weaker choreography of the action. 

Overall 

Overall, Spartacus: Vengeance is another great season of this show and makes it incredibly consistent and enjoyable. If you weren't a fan before, this won't bring you in but if you have already started then this will see you well before future instalments. 

Rating - 8/10

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) Review

I love the first season of Spartacus: Blood & Sand and couldn't wait to rewatch more of the series. However, this show wasn't exactly planned and only took place due to sad reasons. Unfortunately, Spartacus actor Andy Whitfield had a terrible illness while the show was being made, so instead of recasting they decided to make a prequel series focusing on characters from the previous show. I have watched Gods of the Arena and here is my review. The premise of the show sees the rise of the gladiators, led by their ambitious leader, the men attempt to make their mark when the new arena opens. 

Main Character

With no Spartacus, we are introduced to a new Gladiator in Gannicus played by Dustin Clare and this is a great character. He is totally different to Spartacus, he is a drunk, arrogant fighter who can back it up when he is in the arena. He is very charismatic and has proper depth to him which makes for an interesting lead. 

Supporting Characters

John Hannah as Batiatus was so entertaining in the original show and he continues to be here. Hannah calms it down a bit as he is a younger version of the character there, but his ambition and manipulation is there with some of his truly legendary outbursts. 

Lucy Lawless also reprises her role as Lucretia and similar or Batiatus this is a great character that is a bit more reserved here as she leans into her role. She meets another character who really inspires her rise and Lawless owns the screen. 

Manu Bennett is also back as Crixus and he has one of the best character developments over the series. He really progresses from a slave with no skill, to a true gladiator and it is pretty well done with Bennett once again giving a strong performance. 

Peter Mensah as Oenomaus was a fun character in the first season with not too much character development. But he gets lots of that here and we really see as he progresses from injured gladiator to the leader of the group and he does good work. 

Story     

The story is good, it shows these characters in their infancy and even though we know where all of their journeys progress it didn't make it any less interesting. It had the political intrigue mixed with the rivalry of the gladiators. But it had a similar issue that the first season had in that it feels like a few bits of the show are rushed. Also, some of the stories feel a bit on the nose and forced due to the fact we know of the characters fate. 

Script

The script is once again well written, it has everything in it. I cared about the drama, I chuckled at times and saw the overall feel of the original show kept alive by this strong writing. 

Style

The show once again has all the violence and sex that you could want from a show like this and it really doesn't hold back. It clearly has a smaller budget then the original so we don't have as much bad CGI and the action scenes are still cool. But we only got 6 episodes this time and it makes the show feel a bit rushed and like they have to get everything included, if it had a couple more episodes I think this could have been an epic show. 

Overall

Overall, Spartacus: Gods of The Arena is another great addition to the franchise and anther great sword and sandal adventure. If you love the first series then this is a must watch and it is made for those of us who enjoyed what we saw the first time. 

Rating - 8/10

Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010) Review

A new Spartacus show has been released and that means that I wanted to go back and watch one of my favourite shows. I was recommended to watch Spartacus by a friend many years ago and I loved it and now I am re-watching it and here is my review for the first season Blood and Sand. The premise of the show sees a warrior ripped away from his wife and forced into slavery, in order to survive and reunite with his wife he aims to become a gladiator and dominate the arena.

Main Character

Andy Whitfield plays Spartacus and he is fantastic. This isn't some brutish performance, this is a character that is really well layered and is easy to root for. He just oozes charisma and I loved watching the characters journey throughout the show. Tragically, Whitfield passed away after doing this season of the show but his legacy will live on with his great performance. 

Supporting Characters

This show has a huge cast and everybody does a fantastic job, so if I miss anybody just realise that every actor nails there role. First off is John Hannah as Batiatus the owner of The Gladiators, he is clearly relishing this role and absolutely nails it as this wicked but charismatic leader who is just manipulating the whole show. 

Lucy Lawless plays his wife Lucretia and she equals his devilishness and possibly even raises the bar. She is also clearly loving her time on the show and is really oozing in the evil charisma that her character is afforded. 

Manu Bennett plays Crixus and I love this character. He is a natural rival to Spartacus but he clearly isn't a straight up villain. The show does a wonderful job of showing his character arc and making him way more then just a generic rivalry. 

Peter Mensah plays Doctore and I also loved this character. Amongst all of the chaotic characters he brings real order and Mensah is super intense and makes it believable that he could control all of these other Gladiators. 

Story

The story is really good, it really gives our lead character a great story and makes us really care about his journey. But it also gives us super interesting supporting characters that are given time to be fleshed out and make us interested and cared about their plight. The issue I have is the finale feels a bit rushed, lots of things happen and they just seem to happen very fast which maybe takes away from the impact. 

Script

The script is great, some really great emotional moments between characters. You really feel like the actors are giving there all and really care about the characters that they have crafted for the screen. There are some humorous moments too that really make it work. 

Style

The show is full of sex and violence and it excels at both of them and it really fits the tone. The action scenes are great, it feels like these guys are gladiators and that they are really fighting to the death. The only issue is sometimes the show goes a bit too far with the style which takes away from some moments. Plus there is some truly terrible background CGI which makes it feel pretty dated. 

Overall

Overall, Spartacus: Blood and Sand is a Great show that nails its premise and delivers epic fighting with great characters and is a show that I loved watching. If you like shows with uber violence amid a historical backdrop then this is for you. 

Rating - 8/10