billhilario Andy whitfield owned this show throughout all the seasons albeit starring in just the first."i am spartacus!"

alindsay-al I have been told to watch Spartacus for a while now and I have spent the last few weeks being mesmerised by this show for its violence, sex and awesome characters. The premise of this show sees a free man and his wife separated and sold into slavery, being sold to a wealthy owner the free man becomes a gladiator of the arena and the legend Spartacus. The character of Spartacus is an interesting one to talk about because of tragic reasons he was played by two actors. Andy Whitfield played the character for the first season before he tragically passed away and Liam McIntyre plays the character in the other two seasons. So first to Whitfield who I really enjoyed as Spartacus, he owns the physicality of the role really well and gave some nice personality to help build the performance. McIntyre gives a more detailed performance showing his acting chops to develop Spartacus as a leader of these slaves and an inspiring figure, he also fits the physicality of the role well. Manu Bennett plays the gladiator crixus and I absolutely love this character, his development is fantastic and I just love Bennett as an actor and I loved watching him play this destructive gladiator who has honour. Dustin Claire plays gannicus a character from the spin off show gods of the arena and I love this character, he has the most personality of any of the gladiators and it is just so entertaining to watch and he is awesome to watch in the action scenes. Lucy lawless and john Hannah play the slave owners on this show and they do a really good job, there chemistry is really good together and they compliment each other. Hannah is always really entertaining and lawless plays the manipulative female very well. The characters of onomaeus, Varro and agron are all really good as well and all share a unique relationship with Spartacus throughout the show. The story is really fascinating as you see this group of slaves fight to survive and maybe realise they are better then just being slaves. Pretty much every character has an interesting story arc through the series. Which comes to one of the things I did dislike for this show which was its conclusion, I understand that this show is somewhat based on history but I found the ending of the show to lack conclusion and left me wanting more even though there never was any intent to give me more which let me down quite a bit. The script is great, it has a lot of drama in it that does work but of also works in great moments of humour to help make these characters feel even better. The style of the show is pretty controversial, this show makes game of thrones look timid the action is bloody and graphic with the sex scenes leaving very little to the imagination as well. But for this show it is completely necessary as it fits the type of show you are watching. However, similar to the spin off series gods of the arena my biggest criticism of this show is the overuse of slow mo, it gets better as the show progresses but it is just really jarring especially when it is used for things that aren't action scenes where it feels really unnecessary. Overall if you can handle the violence and sex then this show really is a must watch.

Konrad Schwoerke Like its Spartacus predecessors (Gods of the Arena, Blood and Sand, and Vengeance), War of the Damned's meager merits are vastly outweighed by its pornographic aspect. I'm not so much talking about the all-too-frequent gratuitous sex and nudity as I am the inescapable over-the-top violence and gore. Not only are these incredibly unrealistic, as is nearly everything else in this series, but it's highlighted in such a way as to appeal to our very basest nature. Sadly, I can only imagine this being enjoyable for those who would voyeuristically delight in an actual gladiatorial contest.

steliospota I rate this series 5 though I have only watched the first season, which is such a wild triumph I cannot help but rate the whole thing as outstanding in every way. The drama in that first season is visceral, heart-wrenching, romantic, humorous and so wildly entertaining I believe it shall endure for many years to come. The stories of these gladiators and this ludus are stories of passionate love, unbridled determination, tear-jerking romance, personal transcendence, metaphysical visions, hubristic arrogance, Mercutian camaraderie and choreographic physical feats. And all this is delivered flawlessly; visually orgasmic, a dramaturgical tour-de-force and with writing that makes one reminisce of Shakespeare. What more can I say.