Reviewed: Spartacus: War of the Damned

The old saying is that you should always '...film the legend' and there are few more rough-and-tumble, derring-do, epic tragedies and triumphs than the story of the rebel Thracian slave Spartacus who took on the might of the Roman Empire.  Back in 1960, the legend was personified by Kirk Douglas, but in recent years it's American cabler Starz  that has been the home of the classic tale... and they added some sex and scandal to the swords and sandals to the mix.  Executive Producers Stephen S DeKnight (Buffy, Dollhouse) and Robert Tapert (The Evil Dead, Hercules, Xena) took their extensive experience in the industry and crafted a story that went back into the warrior's earlier life and explored his growing motivations and the events that would lead him to a bloody destiny. 

Casting was important and the team picked Welsh-born actor Andy Whitfield as their star with able support from the likes of Lucy Lawless (Tapert's wife, whom he met on Xena) as the duplicitous Lucretia, John Hannah as the equally nasty Batiatus and a pre-Die Hard/Jack Reacher Jai Courtney as Varro. The first series with its mix of brutal fights and even more brutal political powerplays was a hit from the outset, but with filming completed, Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The illness and its urgent treatment made a second season uncertain, so in the meantime a second season was delayed and a prequel mini-series slotted into place while everyone assessed their options. When it was clear that Whitfield would not be able to return, it was the wishes of the actor and then his surviving family that the series should continue if the Starz channel could and wanted to find a way. They did and Liam McIntyre was hired to take over the role of Spartacus and the series continued with growing ratings.

The explicit sex and fighting was always something of a controversy-bait, but anyone who watched the show could testify that while such elements were excellent marketing tools, there was a real story-telling passion and solid action-drama behind all the less subtle parts of the puzzle.  Yes, it revelled in the more basic elements and deserved its adult-rating, but it had dramatic momentum and a loyal following that kept it a sure-fire ratings winner.

The final mini-series, now entitled 'War of the Damned', comes out on DVD today - with the whole series also made available in one big package. Though you really need to follow the saga from the beginning to appreciate the longer term story-telling aspects of the plot, the final season is sufficently self-contained to make viewing more accessible to newer converts and builds nicely towards a conclusion that doesn't shirk its heritage or inevitability.  There's a sense, as we get nearer to the conclusion, that fate may not be any kinder than it ahs been for the warrior so far... he's had many successful victories but they've come at a price and with a new enemy Marcus Crassus (Simon Merrels) who is determined not to make the mistake of his predecessors... he respects Spartacus as a fellow strategist and warrior, but thhat won't stop him using every emans to bring him down on behalf of Rome and Julius Caesar. In short, those who have followed the story to date won't be disappointed by the continued high-budget battle-scenes and the quieter moments of deception and betrayal.

We've mentioned recently that there are a wave of tough action dramas that are making their way from US cable to UK channels (Spartacus has been running on Sky One and Sky Atlantic launches Banshee tonight). While one could probably write an entire thesis on why such dark, heavy and highly explicit material is suddenly in favour, perhaps the more pragmatic approach is to say when a production proves as entertaining as such shows clearly are, then one shhould just go with the flow and be gald that it's as good as the sum of its creative parts. Risque material can't get by on shock value alone, but series such as Spartacus prove that there's a defintie market for programmes that know their demographic and go after it with creative, technological and budgetary passion.

Spartacus: War of the Damned is released by Anchor Bay on 29th April - priced £39.99 (DVD) and £49.99 (Blu-ray) 

The Spartacus Collection (Blood and Sand, Gods of the Arena, Vengeance and War of the Damned) is also available priced £69.99 and £84.99 (Blu-ray) from today.