Spartacus: Vengeance: Season 2

Fans of Spartacus: Blood and Sand and the prequel Gods of the Arena: Draw near, that I may break words with you.Know this in advance: there are parts of this second season (or third, depending on how you're counting) of the Spartacus saga that _you will not like_. But the gods do not favor such thoughts! WE are for Spartacus: Vengeance, preferably on Blu-ray, which has had noticeably better picture and sound quality than the Starz broadcasts. Bend ear, and I shall give good reasons to make purchase:- The story is on a par with, possibly even better than, Blood and Sand. It's different - how could it be otherwise? - but more complex and on a much grander scale. The same goes for the setting. Spartacus has always featured impressive camera work and CGI, and this time around it is, at times, literally jaw-dropping and downright beautiful. Much of S:V looks and feels more like a movie than a TV series.- The cast outdoes itself yet again. Liam McIntyre takes a couple of episodes to get comfortable with the daunting job of filling Andy Whitfield's sandals, but by mid-season he's rocking Spartacus every bit as hard as Whitfield did. Cynthia Addai-Robinson takes awhile to get into her role as Naevia (replacing Leslie-Ann Brandt,) but makes up for it and then some in the final episode. All the returnees own their characters in splendid fashion, even when those characters have dramatically changed (see below.) It's very hard to pick a standout this time, but I'm going with Nick Tarabay. Yeah, Asher, who this time around is pushing his intelligence (he's smarter than he appears) and cunning (he's even more of a snake) to their limits in an attempt to gain real wealth and power. Tarabay takes what was a relatively minor character in the other series and brings him to the forefront as a downright fascinating, and in a way even tragic, figure. Where was he hiding this guy in S:B&S?- Lucy Lawless, who takes her character Lucretia on a horrific roller-coaster ride from wife and house-mistress (with a touch of the Borgia thrown in,) to mad prophetess, to a vengeful slave's plaything, to confidante-and-perhaps-assassin of a powerful family. You'll be genuinely wondering whether she's crazy-like-a-fox, or just plain crazy, right up to the moment of the Stephen King-worthy climax in the final episode.- "Libertus". Spartacus and his generals return to the arena in Capua one final time, and the result is the best episode of any of the three series up until this point. This and the season finale are by themselves worth the price of the entire set.- "Wrath of the Gods". I didn't think it was possible to top the finale of Blood and Sand. They did it.- The bonus features are all worth watching, especially the "making of" episode 5 featurette. For someone who still pictures the lights-camera-action Hollywood stereotype behind the scenes, watching 21st-century state-of-the-art "filming" with its complex battle choreography, robotic digital cameras and virtual sets is endlessly fascinating.To be sure, there are a few problems with S:V:- First and foremost: only ten episodes. The whole blasted thing was over and done with inside of three months. And this is weird, because there is easily 13 episodes worth of story here. As others have noted, this means that a number of intriguing plot threads (e.g. Lucretia's rescue from the ludus massacre, and the Seppia / Seppius relationship) were just barely touched upon. I assume they blew the budget on episodes 5 and 10, but still, ten episodes simply were not enough to tell this story as it should be told.- As with S:GotA, the story starts out slow, taking a couple of episodes to ramp up. Clearly the producers' fault for spoiling us with S:B&S, which was solid from end to end. ;)- It's clear at this point that the producers are making a conscious effort to outdo themselves sex-and-violence-wise with each new season, and in S:V it's actually become a detriment to the show. We now have the camera lingering on spilled intestines and increasingly-bizarre mutilations for no other reason than "Hey, look what our effects guys came up with THIS time!" We also have numerous scenes set in a brothel that clearly exist only to (ahem) insert sex that they couldn't work into the storyline. (This season could have been subtitled "Meanwhile, back at the whorehouse...") S:B&S proved that they can use the sex and gore intelligently to pump up an already good story. So why go all gratuitous on us now?- Ten. Episodes. At a higher price than most other series' 22-episode seasons. (If history is any guide, however, the price will come down soon after release.)Sum of topic: Buy it, but wait until the price comes down somewhat. Five stars, but just barely this time - the length, the price and what is now the almost overbearing sex and gore almost cost it that 5th.

SPARTACUS:VENGEANCE is a production of epic and monumental proportions. There is nothing even remotely like it on TV. The lavish sets and visual effects are beyond description.Although it is billed as the SECOND SEASON of SPARTACUS, fans will know it is technically the third season. When Spartacus star Andy Whitfied took ill, STARZ kept the series alive by doing a prequel showing the House of Batiatus before the arrival of Spartacus. Everyone hoped Whitfield would recover and return to the sadly. Sadly, he lost his battle on September 11, 2011.VENGEANCE takes us to 6 weeks after the massacre that ended Season One. Liam McIntyre has replaced Whitfield as Spartacus. McIntyre looks a lot like Whitfield although a bit younger. The transition works and the series is kept alive. The fantastic Lucy Lawless is back as Lucretia in her her conniving evilness. It's a violent and volatile time in the Roman Empire and the slaves and gladiators of the House of Batiatus are out for revenge and justice.Despite the murder of his beloved wife and his enslavement, the Spartacus of Vengeance takes the high ground morally. His desire for revenge is directed to Gaius Claudius Glaber but there is no desire to seek revenge from innocent people. This ease to constant disagreement among Spartacus and the men and women in his group. The ranks of the freed slaves grow and the band becomes a very real threat to the Roman Empire.This is an amazing show but be warned. It is not for the squeamish or those who are easily offended. It's definitely not a show for the whole family. The bloodbath and novel ways of killing people never ends. The sex can be rather explicit but this was ancient Rome afterall. The show reaches new levels of bloodspurting wounds. The killings and blood move in poetic slow motion. Visual Effects are advancing at an almost daily rate and the show takes advantage of being able to show more blood and gore.The effects are stunning and the destruction of the arena is the most incredible visual effects I have ever seen on TV. It cannot be missed.It was an amazing and violent time in the world and the producer strive for authenticity along with their fantasy.History tells us that a man named Spartacus did lead a slave revolt around 70 BC. Records tell little about him, but it is interesting to know that this series is based on a real person and real events that obviously have been fictionalized because of the lack of historical documentation.The cast is absolutely amazing. I enjoy the fact that shows set in ancient Rome add an authenticity by having actors speak British English. The ruling class and wealthy speak a more posh English while lower classes speak a working class British English. Somehow it all works. A "new" language and manner of speaking is created to represent the latin-speaking Romans.Liam McIntyre does a fine job in his role as Spartacus. It must have been difficult to fill Andy Whitfield's shoes. The end of episode one's credits leaves us with a picture of Whitfield as a memorial. He is never mentioned again even in the bonus features. Maybe the tragedy of his death was too dark to even mention on this show.VENGEANCE is loaded with special features that are a must see to fans of the show. It is amazing to see how the visual effects were created and how the sets were built. The explanation of how the arena was destroyed cannot be missed. Again, this is something I have never seen before and it was remarkable.I love this show but it definitely is not for everyone. It's the kind of show some people will love and others will turn away in disgust from the blood and violence. Whatever your opinion is of the story, VENGEANCE is a remarkable example of how a talented cast and crew and visual effects can recreate a remarkable time in history.