Spartacus Season 1: Blood and Sand (2010)

A young Thracian who will soon become known as Spartacus (Andy Whitfield), hoping to finally put violence behind him and start a family with his wife Sura (Erin Cummings), enlists in the Roman Auxiliary army to fight the invading Getae and help end their brutal raids once and for all. When the Roman commanding officer of his unit, a legatus named Claudius Glaber (Craig Parker), choses to advance his career by ordering his Thracians to attack Mithridates and the Greeks rather than confront the Getae, the man who will be Spartacus leads a revolt against the legatus but is punished and ultimately finds himself sentenced to death in the gladiator arena while his wife is condemned to a life of slavery. The young man defeats several professional gladiators, and his sentence is reduced from death slavery. He earns the name "Spartacus" for his display of skill and bravery in the arena, and he's soon purchased by Lentulus Batiatus (John Hannah), owner of a thriving "ludus" – or training ground – for developing and seasoned gladiators alike. There, Spartacus expresses his only wish – to be reunited with his wife – and bargains with his master, vowing to train and fight in exchange for Batiatus' promise to locate and free Sura from her life of bondage. Under the tutelage of a former gladiator known as "Doctore" (Peter Mensah), Spartacus hones his skills both in the ludus and in the arena as he struggles to keep his emotions in-check and body intact while dealing with a burgeoning and potentially deadly rivalry with a fellow gladiator, the undefeated Crixus (Manu Bennett). As Spartacus finds himself unwittingly forced to play a greater role in the inner-workings of Roman politics, his star rises as he proves his worth as a gladiator, earns the respect of his peers, and slowly molds himself not only into a champion but a leader of men.

Early on, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" might seem like a series created only to test the limits of taste and what producers can get away with on cable television. In that way, and that way only, it's kinda-sorta reminiscent of a live-action "South Park," but "Spartacus" – at least not yet – is nowhere near as smart and relevant and Trey Parker's and Matt Stone's classic animated program. "Spartacus" doesn't weave much in the way of either blunt or subtle social commentary into its story; rather, it exists as entertainment at the most base of levels, preying on its viewers darkest fantasies of limitless sex and ferocious violence. It's a world where ripped and well-oiled men and well-endowed women parade around in as little clothing as possible. At times – particularly early on in the series – "Blood and Sand's" plot seems almost like an afterthought, a frame in which to place its more gratuitous elements, but the show isn't quite as superfluous as it may initially appear. Certainly, audiences aren't going to commit to a series like "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" for intellectual stimulation – its nonstop sex and exaggerated cartoonish violence are far too dominant – but the series nevertheless offers a fair bit of drama that's grounded in the nitty-gritty world of ancient politics where the incessant maneuvering in the name lust, greed, hate, and power defines an entire society, from those at the pinnacle of wealth and power to the lowest of slaves forced to compete in the ring at the cost of life and limb. "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" shows audiences both sides of the coin, examining the power players and the gladiators both and the way their lives become forever linked for better or for worse within the power structure of Capua.

Fortunately, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" relents quite a bit in the way it seemed hellbent on copycatting 300 with almost every scene in its first two episodes. The cartoonish violence, seemingly unending streams of CGI blood, and extreme slow-motion elements intercut with sped-up footage meant to accentuate the most brutal of blows during action scenes all wear thin rather quickly as they give the show a wash-rinse-repeat structure. It's not until the series settles into its real cadence and tones its visuals down just a hair in favor of greater drama and characterization in the third episode does the series find its stride. Still, the drama captures something of a generic tone; the story of a hero forced into slavery and given no choice but to participate in brutal combat if he's ever to once again become reunited with the love of his life isn't at all original. The show clearly borrows heavily from both Gladiator and Stanley Kubrick's own take on the story, the classic 1960 film Spartacus. With that in mind, the character isn't afforded much depth; the Thracian hero comes off as somewhat flat, while those around him – particularly the characters who make up the show's political power structure – prove far more interesting. Considering the loads of sex and violence, the question as to whether "Spartacus" can sustain itself on "blood and boobs" in future seasons remains to be seen; it would seem that it can go only so far on its basic attributes and, even if it does settle into more of a drama with only sexy and violent elements in support, it will require a superior structural foundation to advance the series beyond where it currently stands.

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is certainly no Gladiator or 300 from a technical perspective, even if certain elements hearken back to those pictures. The series lacks the big-budget spit-and-polish that allowed those films to display far greater special effects while also managing better stories, superior acting, and stronger character development, the latter in particular the most disheartening considering the vastly greater amount of time "Blood and Sand" has to flesh out its primary players. Fortunately, the series isn't a total loss. The acting is adequate but never all that impressive; the cast looks far better than they perform, but each of them displays a passion for their roles and an understanding of the story that allow them to play the parts with some gusto from both a physical and emotional perspective. Additionally, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is executed based on a script that has a certain poeticism about it, even if the series intermixes plenty of modern colloquialisms and slang – particularly of the most sexually-perverse and suggestive type – with an old-world style of dialogue. That juxtaposition fits rather well into the overall tone of the series that combines amped-up violence and re-imagined ancient history brought to life. Unfortunately, one area where "Spartacus" comes up short is in one of its most critical areas: its visual effects. Primarily shot against a green screen backdrop and enhanced with plenty of CGI blood and trickery, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" simply doesn't fare much better than a typical ScyFy channel production. Various overhead shots and crowd backgrounds take on a very basic, undefined, and unrealistic appearance. Making matters worse, the show's violence is far more often than not defined by some thoroughly unconvincing and overly cartoonish CGI shots that lessen the overal impact of the series. Maybe more realistic blood and guts would have been too much to air alongside the blunt language and almost never-ending stream of sex, but either way, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand's" special effects lessen rather than accentuate the series.

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