A warrior from the village of Thracia, along with his men are recruited by a Roman army to combat the barbaric Geteans. Rome plan to exploit their skills to the fullest, and when "Spartacus", and those alongside him, defies their command to engage a separate enemy, all hell breaks loose..Roman blood is spilt and the Thracian soldiers are held responsible. This is when Spartacus returns to his beloved Sura, saving her from rape and murder at the hands of some Getean barbarians. But, he can not save his village or keep the Romans from kidnapping Sura. Along with several of the men he fought with in battle, Spartacus is shackled, taken in the Adriatic across the sea to Capua, to be victimized in the gladiatorial arena by well trained, and heavily armored, warriors. But, unlike his people, Spartacus surprises the Romans by surviving four men with only a sword and revenge motivating his efforts to remain standing alone and alive. Spared by Senator Albanius, Spartacus will be "purchased" by a "supplier", Batiatus, and prepared for future gladiatorial fights.
Kind of Starz answer to HBO's Rome, and modeled in style and look after Zach Snyder's 300. Surprisingly gratuitous in it's depiction of amorality and violence. We see the political intrigue and treatment of the powerful Roman army in comparison to the small Thracian people, how dogged warriors, braving the elements, are cast into the bloody front lines while their superiors lag behind allowing them to do the dirty work. We know that Sura and Spartacus will be split apart due to the very opening scene showing him bound in chains awaiting his time in the center of the arena, the crowd in attendance cheering on with adulation, hungry for brutality and death.
We see how Romans like Batiatus(John Hannah)and Solonius(Craig Walsh Wrightson)vie for Albinius' attention and good graces, dueling over who provides the best men for the required entertainment within the Capua arena..their exchanges(..Batiatus' wife, Lucretia, played by Lucy Lawless, is always by his side)are clever swipes at each other over who is the better "agent". We get some soft-core sex between Spartacus(Andy Whitfield)and his wife Sura(Erin Cummings), both look as if they were models plucked from a Maxim/GQ add, and Viva Bianca(as Ilithya, the precocious daughter of Senator Albinius, and the wife of a commander under his lead, Claudius Glaber, portrayed by Craig Parker, concerned about her husband's standing with pops and the Roman people)drops her furs to expose her magnificent naked body. It is established the importance of appealing to Albinius' favor, and the methods behind those striving for his affections. Whitfield is cut, his body chiseled appropriately for the part, and Cummings is his equal, glamored up(..but toned and tough) despite her peasant character.
The reliance on CGI is insane. I found the effects rather terrible, particularly the CGI blood, the obvious animated crowds in the arena, and the back drops..I hope those in charge do a better job in the coming episodes of better presenting their world more realistically. The slow motion is numbingly overblown..combats between persons speed up and slow down showing bodies in the midst of battle, torn asunder, computer blood spilling all over the place in embarrassing fashion. Hilarious disclaimer at the beginning specifying the importance of presenting this period of time in a realistic way, but we know this is only an excuse to show plenty of naked women, sex, and graphic violence. I see potential if there's not a complete dependence on CGI, but something tells me that will not be the case. I think a problem is that so many movies, like Gladiator and 300, have come before this, and the plot really offers nothing we haven't seen before..it'll be interesting to see what direction this show will go in the coming weeks. The Red Serpent of the title refers to a troubling dream Sura had before Spartacus went to battle, the image later appearing on a gladiator's shield.
Kind of Starz answer to HBO's Rome, and modeled in style and look after Zach Snyder's 300. Surprisingly gratuitous in it's depiction of amorality and violence. We see the political intrigue and treatment of the powerful Roman army in comparison to the small Thracian people, how dogged warriors, braving the elements, are cast into the bloody front lines while their superiors lag behind allowing them to do the dirty work. We know that Sura and Spartacus will be split apart due to the very opening scene showing him bound in chains awaiting his time in the center of the arena, the crowd in attendance cheering on with adulation, hungry for brutality and death.
We see how Romans like Batiatus(John Hannah)and Solonius(Craig Walsh Wrightson)vie for Albinius' attention and good graces, dueling over who provides the best men for the required entertainment within the Capua arena..their exchanges(..Batiatus' wife, Lucretia, played by Lucy Lawless, is always by his side)are clever swipes at each other over who is the better "agent". We get some soft-core sex between Spartacus(Andy Whitfield)and his wife Sura(Erin Cummings), both look as if they were models plucked from a Maxim/GQ add, and Viva Bianca(as Ilithya, the precocious daughter of Senator Albinius, and the wife of a commander under his lead, Claudius Glaber, portrayed by Craig Parker, concerned about her husband's standing with pops and the Roman people)drops her furs to expose her magnificent naked body. It is established the importance of appealing to Albinius' favor, and the methods behind those striving for his affections. Whitfield is cut, his body chiseled appropriately for the part, and Cummings is his equal, glamored up(..but toned and tough) despite her peasant character.
The reliance on CGI is insane. I found the effects rather terrible, particularly the CGI blood, the obvious animated crowds in the arena, and the back drops..I hope those in charge do a better job in the coming episodes of better presenting their world more realistically. The slow motion is numbingly overblown..combats between persons speed up and slow down showing bodies in the midst of battle, torn asunder, computer blood spilling all over the place in embarrassing fashion. Hilarious disclaimer at the beginning specifying the importance of presenting this period of time in a realistic way, but we know this is only an excuse to show plenty of naked women, sex, and graphic violence. I see potential if there's not a complete dependence on CGI, but something tells me that will not be the case. I think a problem is that so many movies, like Gladiator and 300, have come before this, and the plot really offers nothing we haven't seen before..it'll be interesting to see what direction this show will go in the coming weeks. The Red Serpent of the title refers to a troubling dream Sura had before Spartacus went to battle, the image later appearing on a gladiator's shield.