Spartacus: War of the Damned DVD Review
I only had a passing knowledge of the Spartacus phenomenon, having only seen a few episodes of the first series before I got this final series sent to me. The first series followed the famous tale of a slave who takes Rome by storm in the arena and was basically Gladiator by way of 300. It proved popular and helped put cable channel Starz’s original programming on the map. Spartacus: War of the Damned builds on the framework laid down by previous series Vengeance, which took old Sparty out of the arena and into an all-out rebellion against the Roman rule.
If you’re a newcomer to Spartacus, there may be a few things that put you off. Straight off the bat, it’s evident this is a lower budget show. If you’re going in expecting something with the production values of Game of Thrones, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. That’s not to say budget makes the show, it’s just that some people may be used to their epic television looking like bona-fide blockbusters. Some shonky CGI and unconvincing green-screen work aside, Spartacus is pleasingly ambitious with its set pieces and certainly doesn’t skimp due to budgetry concerns.
It’s easy to dismiss Spartacus as juvenile. I think “gratuitous” is the better word to describe Spartacus as a series. Violence, swearing and nudity are rampant. You can bet your bottom dollar there will be throats slashed, limbs ripped, f-bombs dropped and busty wenches de-togaed, sometimes all within the space of 10 minutes. There’s nearly always a slow-motion shot of some poor bastard Roman’s head popping like a blood-filled balloon, spraying massive amount of claret over one of our heroes as they roar like a pissed-off lion. Were I to set up some kind of Spartacus drinking game (and I just might), you’d have to down your drink every time this glorious bit occurs.
Sex is shot with the same vigour as the swordplay, however, the series is refreshingly equal opportunities about its nudity. You’re just as likely to see manflesh on display as you are are some slave girl spooning her baps out. It’s certainly a counterpoint to the accusation that Spartacus is for and made by the meatheaded Nuts magazine crowd. The spicy language can also occasionally count against the show. Everyone speaks in psuedo-Shakespearean tones, which is standard for this sort of thing. To say something simple like “I can’t sleep.” in Spartacus’ tongue, you’d have to say something to the effect of “Slumber evades me this night. The Gods are taunting me.” This is all well and good, but the dialogue is often leaden and stilted. This is especially apparent when it comes to swearing, strangely. The placement of the word “fuck” just seems off at times and can lead to coming across like a young child who doesn’t know how to swear properly yet.
The reason I made a big hoo-hah about these supposed flaws early on is that once you get past all that, Spartacus is a perfectly compelling, enjoyable watch. I believe it sells itself short with its meatheaded presentation. Spartacus himself is a stoic, moral hero who rather uneasily leads an army of rebels. This is Liam McIntyre’s second crack of the whip after replacing the late Andy Whitfield in Vengeance and he does admirably. Fan-favourite Gannicus (Dustin Clare) is a powerhouse of a man who gets sketched with a little more detail this time round with a storyline involving him saving the life of slave girl Sybil (Gwendoline Taylor) and starts following him around, convinced of a life debt (yes, it is very Jar-Jar Binks, but it’s done so much better here). Roman moneybags and main antagonist Crassus (Simon Merrells) is brilliant, proving that having a decent villain in your piece is just as important as the hero. Also heading up the baddies is a young warrior Julius Caesar, played with a smug superiority by actor Todd Lasance. Crassus’ son Tiberius (Christian Antidormi) is also a fascinating character, who goes on a real rollercoaster of a journey throughout the series.
Apart from the awesome finale, there are some cracking episodes in here. My personal favourite was episode five, “Blood Brothers”, as it has numerous twists and turns, hefty dollops of action, plenty of time spent with Caesar being an insufferable douche and a rollicking cliffhanger. After all that, I couldn’t press play on the next episode fast enough.
High art it ain’t, but I had a lot of fun with Spartacus: War of the Damned. It’s a relatively stylish, incredibly entertaining slosh of ultra-violence that we should all indulge in once in a while. It’s inspired me to go back and check out the previous series, in any case. Recommended.
Ben Browne
Rating:18
DVD/BD Release Date: 29th April 2013 (UK)
Director:Steven S. DeKnight
Cast: Manu Bennett, Daniel Feuerriegel, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah, Liam McIntyre
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