Spartacus: Gods Of
The Arena (2011/Anchor Bay Blu-ray)
Picture: B Sound: B Extras: B+ Episodes: B
What do you do when the main star of your talked-about cable TV series
contracts non-Hodgkin Lymphoma? The
creators of Spartacus: Blood and Sand
faced this terrible question when lead actor Andy Whitfield received his
diagnosis. This delayed season two of
the show, and prompted creator Steven S. DeKnight to conceive of a six-part
prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the
Arena. In the meantime, Mr.
Whitfield seemed to respond well to his treatment, but then tragically
succumbed to the cancer in September 2011.
Gods of the Arena relates the events that led up to Spartacus’ arrival
on the scene. Gladiator lanista (the
owner and manager) Batiatus (John Hannah) and his wife Lucretia (Lucy Lawless)
find themselves struggling to gain power and position in the games at
Capua. Batiatus owns a burgeoning stable
of skilled and deadly warriors, but he lacks the political connections to get
them on the sand for the sort of prestigious matches that will spark a rise to
fame and fortune. With his ailing father
convalescing in Sicily, Batiatus attempts to curry favor with an unscrupulous
crime lord named Tullius (Stephen Lovatt).
Brilliantly played by Mr. Lovatt, the vicious Tullius seems to only have
eyes for Batiatus’ greatest gladiator, the skillful but reckless Gannicus
(Dustin Clare).
When Batiatus spurns Tullius’ offer to buy Gannicus for placement into
another lanista’s stable, violence ensues.
Beaten to within an inch of his life by Tullius and his thugs, Batiatus
swears revenge. When his disapproving
father, Titus (Jeffrey Thomas) returns, things grow even more complicated. A frenetic blend of incredible violence,
harsh language, sex, and soap opera like plot twists, Gods of the Arena
provides engrossing entertainment.
Scenes of extreme violence and wanton debauchery are often juxtaposed
and viewers are constantly reminded of the abject cruelty of the Roman slave
owners toward fellow human beings who are little more than property. In spite of this owner-slave relationship,
some of the house servants and the gladiators seem maddeningly content with
their lot. The sort of rebellion that
will come at the end of Blood and Sand exists only in hints and throwaway lines
like those uttered by Batiatus when reviewing a group of slaves: “Not him, he’s
a Thracian, they’re trouble.” Trouble
indeed, for you, Spartacus himself was a Thracian.
Dustin Clare’s Gannicus does well as the handsome hero in Mr. Whitfield’s
absence, but he is no leader of men, but rather a directionless marauder
seeking only to live through his next day and enjoy what pleasures he earns
from bloody victories. These six
episodes really belong to Ms. Lawless and Mr. Hannah. After all, the series opens with their
deaths, and closes with their ascendancy to the pinnacle of the Capuan
gladiatorial games. Plentiful extras
help to make this two disc set a winner with a terrific 1.78 X 1 1080p HD
picture, impressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix on every episode, and include
featurettes on the making of the series, the weapons used by the gladiators,
the training involved to get the actors ready for the physical rigors of their
roles, bloopers of the arena, a look at day of filming with Lucy Lawless, and
more.
Gods of the Arena delivers plenty
of entertainment value, but the violence and sex will not be for the
timid. Sex, violence, and extreme
cruelty were no doubt part of the real-world lives of ancient Romans, and if
the creators take a bit of cinematic license with some over-the-top action in
the series, so be it. The end result
will leave audiences wanting more. It’s just a shame Andy Whitfield cannot be
with us to share more of what the show’s creators had in mind for Spartacus.
- Scott Pyle
