copyright © Jedo Dre 2011

Appropriately being played at past 11 o'clock at night, this show could have easily escaped this reviewer's attention, despite its announcement during the day. However, I am glad I did not miss it - and these words come from a man who despises shows. Spartacus has been a drug since the first episode, and proved popular not only with my testosterone filled male friends, but with the females as well.


Spartacus has everything that today's public truly desires: violence, sex and a good story, ironically the same things we desired back in the Roman times when the sand was wet with blood in the arenas. And Spartacus is better than other productions that offer the same because Spartacus simply offers ten times more of it. The episodes do not drag on trying to stretch the material beyond its worth, like most other shows do. It is intense. The show warns at the beginning that it is simply violent because it is trying to portray realistically the life in Roman times. Nice excuse, but in true series' fashion I would like to say, "what a load of @*$%". The show simply shows what the public wants to be shown, and we thank it for it.


The acting and script is brilliant, not without flaws, but nonetheless brilliant. Sometimes the character development is hard to buy; the naked warriors in the snow make you wonder if the show decided to disregard the laws of physics and commons sense, but those flaws are quickly overshadowed by the awesomeness of the acting and the interesting plot twists. The metaphors of the plot are thought-provoking, yet do not require one to turn the brain on to the fullest like some of the productions that try to be deep and artistic rather than simply entertain. We see a few familiar actor names return in this epic journey and they bring it to life marvelously, but the B-folks do their job a well.


The visual style of the show borrows much from the blood festival of a movie from 2006 called 300 and, speaking of the blood, it could have been a bit more realistic looking. Nonetheless this fakeness soon becomes a welcome signature style for the rest of the show, which quite frankly overshadows the movie 300 and makes it look like a rip-off from Spartacus.


Spartacus is not a horror movie, but the youngest of the youngest probably should not watch this sobering spectacle. Spartacus is not for the older ones either as the violent and sexual filler (the purpose of teenagers' lives) is too great and the story is not of fine flavour, like a good wine, but rather of an overwhelming taste, like a big juicy steak - great for some, but others just can't chew through it.



Spartacus: Blood on the sand