Spartacus: Blood and Sand is a movie inspired by countless other shows and movies and yet still by it's conclusion you'll be wanting to find out what happens next.

From the get go you're thrown into a blood curdling, sexually driven TV show that's slow motion, cut throat action look as though they've just come from the movie 300. No matter how many times you see these same effects you can't help but stop and stare in amazement as every blood splatter and decapitated head just looks amazing and before long you find yourself totally and completely immersed in the show.

You start the show following Spartacus (no it's not Kirk Douglas) who is a relatively small time Thiracian soldier. After fighting for the Roman Cladius Gaber (played by Craig Parker, the head battle elf in the Two Towers) he finds he and his comrades are betrayed and quickly finds himself sold as a slave along with his beautiful wife. He is then thrown into the arena and much like Decimus Maximus Meridius, must fight for his freedom and fight to find his wife. His first encounter in the arena, naturally, is a bloody encounter where by he survives by the skin of his teeth.

His victory is short lived as he is bought by what can only be deemed a professional Gladiator pimp, Batiatus. Spartacus finds himself a new member of the Batiatus gladiator school with Batiatus hoping to make a mint from him in the arena when he is deemed ready. Within a few episodes Spartacus finds himself near the top of the Batiatus gladiator hierarchy with only his arch-enemy Crixus standing before-him.

The series itself isn't anything short of graphic in every sense of the word. Each slit throat, thrust to the chest and broken arm are presented to you in very vivid detail and it can at times seem a little unnerving for those with weaker bellies. The sex is also very graphic bordering on hardcore pornography at times.

Blood and Sands main hook I found though was indeed the story, the balance Batiatus strikes between letting Spartacus trust him (abusing it at times) and using him as a pawn only to increase his power. You see Spartacus rising the ranks, but at times the mistakes he makes puts a few notches down the pecking order and once again it becomes enthralling as you want nothing more than to see Spartacus re-united with his love.

The additional plots do not stop there with deceit running rampant through the Batiatus house whether it be Lucretia, Batitatus's wife having an affair with a gladiator or Illythia's vendetta to destroy Spartacus everything comes together perfectly and makes for an un-missable TV show.

Acting wise John Hannah as Batiatus and Andy Whitfield as Spartacus are simply miles ahead of everyone else in the show. Bar them two the acting is bordering on above average, at times falling below it. Hannah and Whitfield on the other hand make this show so much more enjoyable to watch. The final episode plays the two of them off against each other perfectly making for an amazing end to the series.

Granted this kind of show is not for everyone, 300 lovers will immediately fall in love with it's slow motion CGI. If you're looking for perfect acting then look away as for the most part the cast is by no means anything special. Despite this once you truly get into the show it's gripping from start to finish, by the final four or five episodes you will find yourself going through them all one after the other as the suspense is simply unbearable. It's sad to hear of Whitfields ill health but once he's back I can safely say that Spartacus Blood and Sands 2 will be the next DVD on my wishlist.