Spartacus: Blood and Sand mixes the sex and violence

Remember when cable television had a more unsavory reputation? When you would stay up late to see Hot Dog: The Movie and Young Lady Chatterly or ultra-violent, uncut Bruce Lee movies? Well, STARZ has you, as well as millions of fans of history-themed action flick 300, in mind. The network's latest foray into the cable series world is Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which, for shorthand's sake, is the story of the gladiator we already well know—just told with vividly realized, often gory action sequences and a dash of high-definition sex and nudity. Dudes that prefer graphic novels to novels will love it, fourteen year olds will love it, your buddy will call it "Spartatits." Get the picture? This is no art house fare—but truth be told, I found it pretty thrilling when screening the previews. Why? I'm not sure—digital slow motion blood spatter isn't usually my thing. But in this case, I couldn't tear myself away from the "unique mix of live action, graphic novel effects and brutal battle sequences," as STARZ describes it. How would the next gladiator die? Hopefully wiggling a bit as his head slides off into the dust of the coliseum.

Is there some intriguing drama woven into Spartacus? Sure, Lucy Lawless and John Hannah turn in respectable performances as Roman elites vying for power. Politics and power are likely to be the backdrop to the tail of this roughneck with a sword. But, this is no ROME—HBO's especially thrill-less and serpentine political drama of Caesar's Rome. There's a small part of me that wants to take seriously the STARZ disclaimer that "Spartacus is a historical depiction of ancient Rome's society and culture. The intensity of the sensuality, brutality and language is to suggest and authentic representation of that period." Yes, this is going to be graphic because life was brutal, short and intense in the era. And I'm averse to the suggestion that sex and sexuality was much more upfront in the culture of "barbarian" tribes and Romans alike. But fundamentally, as I said before, this is a digital cartoon for adults—if you can get over that, you'll have some fun.

Watch Episode 1

Spartacus: Blood and Sand premieres tonight at 9pm on STARZ.