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