[hugh]

The new Starz action-adventure original drama series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, will premiere Monday, January 25, 2010 at 9 p.m. ET on TMN and 8 p.m. PT on Movie Central.

Andy Whitfield stars as the legendary gladiator warrior Spartacus, a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who is torn from his homeland and the woman he loves and taken prisoner after defying a Roman Legate. Condemned to the gory brutality of the gladiator arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment, Spartacus' sentence is commuted after he survives numerous fights and he's sold as a slave to a wealthy couple who hope to regain their status in the viscous world of gladiatorial contests.

The series also stars Lucy Lawless and John Hannah as Lucretia and Batiatus, the scheming couple who own Spartacus and a gladiator camp. .

Spartacus: Blood and Sand is inspired by the actual slave of the Roman Republic who in 73 BC led a slave revolt that grew to more than 120,000 fighters. Defying the Roman Republic's legion of soldiers, they campaigned for two years through much of what is now Italy before succumbing to a much larger army.

All episodes of Spartacus: Blood and Sand will be simulcast on The Movie Network and Movie Central's High Definition channels.

 

[james99]

Older discussion: http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=116845&highlight=Spartacus

 

[Claw]

Good show, not a fan of the blood splatter, but I found the first two episodes very entertaining.

Can't compare to Rome as I haven't seen Rome yet.

 

[Coop]

I just watched episode 1 on Starz.com and yeah they do go little over board with the blood, other than that I think I will record the show.

 

[sixer]

Looks good, premiere is tonight on TMN!

 

[rfielder]

Looks good, premiere is tonight on TMN!

Is Kitchener a day ahead of Toronto?

My Rogers listings show the first show tomorrow, Monday.

 

[sleemo]

Reminds me of the movie "300".

 

[Cyclism]

Wow! This show...sucks, to the point of being unwatchable.

 

[bete_noir]

Wow! This show...sucks, to the point of being unwatchable.

Agreed. Bad dialogue, crummy acting, gratuitous violence and nudity (okay, maybe the nudity is the only thing that makes it worth watching....)



Seriously, this is no "Rome". Rome Seasons I and II had plenty of violence and sex but it was always employed to advance the plot.

Rent "Rome" instead of watching this show.....you'll thank me later.

 

[Q]

It felt like I was watching a comic book at times.

 

[PFD]

It felt like I was watching a comic book at times.

I think that's intentional

 

[Roger Corman]

Reminds me of the movie "300".

Reminded me of one of those Asylum Video knockoffs of a bigger movie - Transmorphers, The Day the Earth Stopped, etc. They should have called this show Rome 300.

 

[Cyclism]

I'm thinking more along the lines of it being called "The Erotic Adventures of Spartacus, Blood & Skin!"

 

[faston]

A lot more blood than sand!

 

[doglips]

Reminds me of the movie "300".

That's not a good thing and it manages to be even worse!

 

[scrooloose]

The blood splatters are just ridiculous! I'm not sure what to make of this show. So far, none of the characters have grabbed my interest. Was hoping for something better - maybe it will improve.

-Mike

 

[PFD]

Yeah. the blood splatter was too strange looking to be gory. The sex wasn't anything I ain't seen before. The acting terrible. And the dialogue...

... well, I gave up on it after the line "then I'll kick your ass in the afterlife."

I guess 16 year old boys will love it...but I'm done with it.

 

[gbamber]

It is made in New Zealand by the same crew that made Hercules and Xena, including a role for Lucy Lawless.

Such a waste of talent.

 

[rsambuca]

My wife and I almost always give any new show three episodes before we decide if it is a keeper or not. Man, even with all the boobage, that is gonna be really tough with this one. I think there is a chance it may get better though, since that terrible actor was killed off just prior to Spartacus' battle.

 

[sleemo]

I fell asleep for the last 15 minutes of the show.

I had high hopes for this show, I guess I was looking for a "Rome" replacement but instead found a cheesy version of "300". All the gratuitous sex scenes made it seem even more cheap.

I'll still give it a chance with a few more episodes, hoping it improves. If Lucy Lawless wasn't in it, that would've been it for me.