Spartacus: Vengeance – Impressions of ‘Fugitivus’

Spoiler free!

By default, I’m the type of viewer who doesn’t like actor changes.  To this day, the only flaw that was apparent from watching ‘The Dark Knight’ is that Katie Holmes didn’t return to reprise her role as Rachel Dawes.  It is by no means based on her acting chops vs. Maggie Gyllenhaal.  It’s more to do with visual consistency established from Nolan’s original ‘Batman Begins’.  Tonight, Starz officially kicks off their new season of Spartacus, which if you were following GameFob, we posted yesterday that you view the first episode, ‘Fugitivus’, on the Starz.com website.  Unfortunately, my visual consistency issue will come in to play again, as Liam McIntyre takes over the lead role for Andy Whitfield, who passed away from cancer a couple of months ago. After watching ‘Fugitivus’, I think we can put our mind at ease with McIntyre’s performance.  Fortunately, the folks behind the television show found an actor they were able to mold into character the late Whitfield created.

How was ‘Fugitivus’?  I’m not going to go into any story elements, but this season premiere picks up right where ‘Blood and Sand’ concluded.  The formula that made the first season and its prequel a hit remains intact.  Acting performances are top notch, with resident Maori, Manu Bennett, given the ability to show his range.  We also get to see the channeling emotion in McIntyre’s portrayal of everyone’s favorite Thracian that goes from tears to Hulk-angry like an Eminem CD.  There aren’t too many surprises here since the trailer gave away most of what you see , but the action junkies will enjoy some of the newer heart-pumping fight sequences.  There’s definitely evidence that the production team is trying to incorporate new fighting ideas into this new season.  The choreography, camera tricks, blood, and gore are becoming much more smarter in their placement.

Have you seen ‘Fugivitus’?  What did you think?