The Red Serpent

I doubt Stanley Kubrick or Kirk Douglas would be losing sleep over this.

The first episode is a cross between 300, Gladiator and Rome.

Spartacus and his villagers joins the Roman to kill the barbarians that periodically attack them. After being betrayed by the Romans, he finds himself taken to a gladiatorial stadium to do battle.

After seeing his fellow villagers being slayed by more powerful warriors, it is his turn enter the arena.

The first episode is told in flashbacks to establish the character of Spartacus and his beef with the Romans.

The Executive Producer is Sam Raimi. This is Hercules and Xena with swearing, strong violence and CGI with claims to serious storytelling. It is still campy as hell.

There is also a lot of nudity but it is all done for genuine artistic purposes (honestly!)

It only comes on its own with the violence in the gladiatorial arena so the fake CGI blood can flow freely.

I knew the show wouldn't be your usual historical drama but I didn't expect it to be that brutal. It was one hell of a bloody pilot ! When Rome impressed us with its high-end production and mature cast, The Red Serpent was more about the dark deoxygenated visuals and hyper dynamic action. But like in The Tudors it was also a lot about the relationship between power and women.

To tell the truth it took my neurons some time to coagulate because of the numerous brilliant ideas that could make Spartacus : Blood and Sand the 300 of television. First it's not a surprise Sam Raimi co-created it considering his past works. Ready for an other Army of Darkness night fever ? However it wasn't funny at all and definitely not a parody of Gladiator (2000). The only humorous scenes involved John Hannah's character and his greedy wife. He was so hilarious in The Mummy that I'm glad to see him back. Moreover his profile should help to take all the graphic violence more lightly. In fact once a body part was cut sharp the red fluid was pouring so much that I found most of the scenes jaw dropping. They even match some Mortal Kombat fatalities ! The last time I was so fascinated by such fights was probably while watching Braveheart but let's consider that I haven't seen 300 yet.

As for the cliché but inspiring story of course it's all about Spartacus and his beautiful damsel in distress, Sura. The first seconds made me skeptical about the digital visuals but I instantly knew Andy Whitfield was the perfect match for the famous slaves leader. Erin Cummings is also great as his wife. She both has an irresistible sex appeal and strong charisma. In fact the scene where she picks straw fruits is my favorite because she looked like a nose bleeding Little Red Riding Hood. There was something fantastic about the ambiance and the following minutes were just astonishing. In fact I was very impressed by the editing in general because some transitions were just mesmerizing. One second Spartacus is warming up with his friends, the next they're fighting deadly cells in a plasma of snowflakes. It's not everyday that you can see so much creativity. I wouldn't be surprised if it rained vampire cats and zombie dogs in the upcoming episodes !

But the problem is that I was so pleased by this pilot that I'm already asking for more and the next episode, Sacramentum Gladiatorum, better be even more gory and unpredictable. They definitely have to take things to the next level ! For example I wouldn't be against some mythological elements like in the God of War video game series. I also think that visually playing with the vital importance of organs like heart could bring some depth to the cut scenes. Anyone for ogres in bloodlust ? What about turning deadly injured characters into stones ? What if some of them actually had green blood ? The sexual elements could also use some dirty cleaning because the lust scenes were quite boring and after the epic butchery they seemed even more conventional. What about playing with the most controversial feelings of the tortured characters ? These few ideas could modestly be the necessary subtances that could raise the show among the pioneers of a new visual and savage era.

It's useless to resist the infection because this review should have already spread some parasites in your veins. You already want to know what happened to Sura and how Spartacus managed to defeat his enemies. And as every hero has a nemesis I can't wait to watch the upcoming episodes. Moreover the ending was so captivating and twisted that I really wonder what his love for her will allow him to do, beside painting sand. I also found quite smart to give so much meaning to words in such a physical show. It successfully brought some depth to it. In Spartacus blood is not associated to its importance to life but to the death caused by fatal injuries. Its creators gave birth to a creature whom blood is shed for us in a cup of entertainment and visual madness. That is their testament. Not watching it would make you an heretic and trust me, you don't want to wake up the berserker within him !

The new Spartacus television series is already polarizing opinions, many thinking it is either genius or garbage. It's pretty early for a pronouncement on the whole series but this episode was pretty much as advertised.

Visually, this is very much what was seen in the previews. A direction that mimics 300 as closely as possible stylistically, without really understanding what Zach Snyder was doing or why. The fact it's a television show probably also limited time and money compared to a movie experience. Everything you've seen in 300 is there in theory, though. Model-like actors, slow-motions, surrealistic bluescreen backgrounds for landscape shots, color correction, etc... Unfortunately, none of it is as well done as 300 but if you loved that stuff in the movie, you may enjoy the visuals here.

Story-wise, we're in classic theory. The story of Spartacus, the movie Gladiator are obvious influences here, along with some nods again to 300. The basic plot should be simple and effective but unfortunately, the script in this particular episode was really weak. Some of the lines are downright embarrassing. We're definitely not in HBO Rome quality of dialogue. There's an old cinema feel of obviousness in most lines and plot points and you've seen all of this before.

Acting-wise is really another fairly weak spot. Andy Whitfield is barely getting by in the title role. Most of the others are embarrassingly bad, especially the female actors. Erin Cummings recites her lines and it's tough to buy the love between Sura and Spartacus. They sure can pretend to get laid, though and do that very well! Viva Bianca, much like Cummings, is another actress who seems to have gotten the part simply based on her looks and shows absolutely no acting ability whatsoever.

These acting weaknesses make it tough to take Blood and Sand very seriously. The bright spot in this episode was the ever-reliable John Hannah. Hannah and Lucy Lawless had very few screen time in this episode but I expect much of the intrigue (and actor heavy work) will come from these two. THis could make the series more interesting as a result.

So, what are you left with? Spartacus is fairly entertaining if you are a nut for antiquity-based movie/television and like epic Hollywood action. Unfortunately, the highly stylized nature of Spartacus may look very appealing right now but this is not a series that will age very well compared to others. Rome, for instance, may look much less flashy than this stuff but 10 years from now, will not look like a bad Rick Astley video clip. Spartacus on the other hand may very well end up with that fate.

It's still cool, but a little too CGI heavy. Hard not to laugh when Spartacus sticks a trident in some gladiator's back and a bloodbath that rivals "The Shining" ensues. But if you're there to enjoy highly stylized fights and polished scenes of pretty actors making out, this might entertain you. Comparisons to HBO's Rome are not only unfair but useless. They are totally different beasts and aim to entertain differently. Watch Blood and Sand for what it is.

I'm hoping the story and acting picks up and that later episodes will adjust the CGI effects a little. If not, I may lose interest despite all the chrome and polish.

This is i belive the 3rd time im rewatching this amazing show.

Its really great to first off all see all the old characters again and also how spartacus got his name to begin with.

First time i watched this i gave it a 7/10 but now rewatching it its a 8/10.

I, like many people, was very much looking forward to this mini series..the trailer had huge potential, and after films like 300 and Gladiator, you would think that the creators would have much to work with. But, unfortunately, the result was incredibly lame..and here's why: acting - sub par at best..lines were presented half ass and didn't show emotion that is necessary for an epic of this scale.

action scenes - amateurishly shot. now here is where 300 comes in..because anyone could tell that they took what was made in that movie and threw it into this one..but with terrible results..i have never seen a more obvious studio room setting since the old horror movies from the 1920s. im sorry, but slow motion every half a second and CGI blood slatters do not a good story make.

thats really all there was to it..action and acting..for those into costumes and the like, there is much to enjoy looking at. but other than that..a huge disappointment of a first episode..and i can only speculate that the coming episodes will be just as lame. the hour i watched was like watching every scene from 300 thrown into a smaller time limit, with worse acting and worse direction. oh..and there is plenty of sex. shot exactly like the scene in 300. jeez..this is pretty much the poor mans 300. enough ranting for me, but cmon people, be more creative than that.