The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
95
Studio and Year: Starz/Anchor Bay - 2012
MPAA Rating: NR
Feature running time: 572 minutes
Genre: TV/Action/Adventure/Drama/History
Disc Format: BD-50 (3 Disk Set)
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78.1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish Mono
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Manu Bennett, Liam McIntyre, Nick. E. Tarabay, Craig Parker, Viva Bianca, Katrina Law, Peter Mensah, Dustin Clare, Lucy Lawless
Created by: Steven S. DeKnight
Music by: Joseph Loduca
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: September 18, 2012
"Some legends are written in blood."
Film Synopsis:
Watch the story of history's greatest gladiator unfold with graphic violence and explicit sex. This is Spartacus.
My Take:
This season is the direct sequel to "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" ("Gods of the Arena" was a prequel), picking up after Spartacus and the other enslaved gladiators revolt and escape from the House of Batiatus, after killing Batiatus and leaving his wife (Lucy Lawless) for dead. The escaped rebels are reeking havoc in the town of Capua, and are adding in numbers with more freed slaves. Roman officials have had enough are sending a band of mercenaries to end the threat led by Spartacus. The tragic death of actor Andy Whitfield left a the role of Spartacus without its star. This sequel finds Liam McIntyre in the role and though he does not feel as tough as Whitfield did, he does a great job never the less. The formula of this over indigence of blood, sex and drama seems to work well and they are not afraid to develop some great characters and story-arcs that leave me excited to see the upcoming season 4, "War of the Damned".
Fans of the previous seasons of Starz show Spartacus will be pleased to see that what they liked about the series remains intact, with much more of the same being thrown around. More campy overdone CGI blood fles through the air in slo-mo during fight scenes, more nudity and sex around every corner, more dirty politics, back stabbing and dirty deals...more of the same. This third season is not better or worse ,really it's just the same, which for me is a fun ride of over indulgence that is a welcome escape.
Parental Guide:
Not Rated. Extreme Violence, Nudity and Adult Themes.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 94
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Spartacus: Vengeance comes to Blu-ray Disc from Anchor Bay Entertainment & Starz featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24.4 mbps and Dolby TrueHD sound that has an average bitrate of 2.2 mbps
Again, my thoughts are the same as "Spartacus: Blood and Sand", as well as "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena", having reference Audio and Video quality. Here are my thoughts from those reviews- "The audio and video are both stylized, aggressive and original. The video production has super fine details combined with CGI backgrounds that give a depth and pop to this interesting production. The background, being mostly blue screened does look a bit fake, but the separation from the foreground image is what give it that depth and fun cartoon look. Flesh-tones and black levels are superb, adding to that depth. The arena fight scenes do have a (said in almost every article on this show) 300 meets Gladiator look. The fights are like a live comic book, having over exaggerated sounds of swords, flesh tearing and blood spurting. This blood is CGI and has a super defined red color that flies across and almost off the screen. Dialogue is crisp and clear, always discernible in the forefront in the mix. The top-notch score is used loud and liberally, adding to this front heavy presentation that has a wide front sound-stage.The surrounds are used tastefully for effect and atmosphere, and not over used as much as I anticipated given the aggressive nature of the rest of the soundtrack. The low end is articulate, never floppy, and at times, surprisingly deep. This is an super fun and cool presentation-- you will be impressed."
Episodes:
- Fugitivus, A Place in this World, The Greater Good, Empty Hands, Libertus, Chosen Path, Sacramentum, Balance, Monsters, Wrath of the Gods
Bonus Features:
- Audio Commentary on 8 of the 10 episodes
- (HD)Starz Studios - Spartacus: Vengeance
- (HD) Starz Studios - Spartacus: Vengeance
- (HD) Behind The Camera: Directing The Rebellion
- (HD) On The Set With Liam McIntyre
- (HD) Burning Down The House: The VFX of Episode 205
- (HD) The Legend of Spartacus
- (HD) Famous Last Words
- (HD) Bloopers
- (HD) Spartacus: War of the Damned teaser
Final Thoughts:
With reference A/V and a load of extra features, Anchor Bay brings Spartacus: Vengeance to Blu-ray. Fans will be rewarded with more of what they liked about the previous seasons, making this a very worthy addition to their collection. If you are interested I suggest starting from the begining and checking out "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" before diving into this. Enjoy!
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS45 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector
Screen Innovations Solar HD 1.3 120" 2.40:1 CinemaScope Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 Pre/Pro
Sunfire Theater Grand 7201 Amplifier
Sony PS3 Slim Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
M&K S-150MKII LCR
M&K S-150T Tri-Pole Surrounds
M&K MX-350MKII Subwoofers
