Spartacus: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Spartacus: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

All the blood, sex, and drama anyone could ever want on 13 discs.

Anchor Bay has re-released every season of the hit Starz TV show 'Spartacus' as part of an impressive collectible bundle. Included in the box is a handsome statue that houses all of the included 13 discs in its base. The set also comes with several new supplements, including three commentaries and an exclusive bonus disc with several featurettes. All old supplements do carry over. Read on to learn more.

The box.

• Spartacus: Blood and Sand
• Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
• Spartacus: Vengeance
• Spartacus: War of the Damned

Spartacus: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Please click through the links above for detailed video quality reviews and screenshots for each season.

Spartacus: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Please click through the links above for detailed audio quality reviews for each season.

Spartacus: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Spartacus: The Complete Collection arrives on Blu-ray in an attractive outer box that measures approximately 12" long, 8.25" high, and 8.25" deep. The front and sides display the title and a close-up photograph of the included statue with battlefield carnage adorning the background. The front also includes a small Ultraviolet sticker. The top of the box, in large print, displays the "Spartacus: The Complete Collection" lettering. The back of the box contains a glued-on stat sheet with a series synopsis, a listing of bonus features for each episode, and a technical specifications box (runtime, rating, subtitle options, etc.). Beneath it is a recreation of the box's front artwork.

Inside the box, buyers will find a leaflet advertising the second season of Da Vinci's Demons on one side and Black Sails on the other. A standard UV digital copy voucher is also included. There are two main items left in the box. One is the compact book that houses all thirteen discs. It measures approximately 5" long, 5" tall, and 1.75" deep. Every left-hand "page" features character photographs while the right-handside holds the disc and lists episode titles, details, and bonus materials, where applicable. It's a sturdy little book, a glossy deep red and black color with a red cloth tab built into the spine meant to facilitate removal from the main attraction, a good-looking statue that holds the set in a hidden compartment along the back. The statue, with the discs housed inside, weighs 2 pounds, 5.5 ounces. The base is oval-shaped and runs nearly 9" across its major axis and nearly 7" along its minor axis. It's nearly 7" tall from the base to the top of Spartacus' head. There's a sandy texture to the floor (plastic, of course, not real sand) with splotches of blood about. The statue depicts Spartacus impaling an enemy with a spear. Detail is good, particularly on objects like Spartacus' shield and the enemy's helmet. Muscle lines are well-defined on both figures. There's a small bit of visible clear adhesive, at least on the model reviewed herein, at the point where Spartacus' right hand holds the spear and again under his right shoulder, where the spear looks like it's pushing well inside his body, sort of T-1000 style. These are minor complaints, however, and nothing to worry about when not examining it up-close. It will look good on a collectibles shelf and should withstand the everyday wear-and-tear of inserting and removing the Blu-ray discs. Weapons tips are a little flimsy, expectedly, but with common sense care it should last a lifetime.

As far as new bonus material goes, it's all included on disc thirteen, save for the new season one audio commentaries. New supplements on disc 13 contain optional English SDH subtitles. Below is a breakdown of the new material that's included (please click through the links at the top of this review for a detailed breakdown of the rest of the supplements from previous releases that carry over here):

• Audio Commentaries: "Legends" with Writer/Creator/Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight, Executive Producer Rob Tapert, and Actors Viva Bianca and Lucy Lawless (Disc One). "Great and Unfortunate Things" with Executive Producer Rob Tapert and Actors John Hannah and Lucy Lawless (Disc Two). "Mark of the Brotherhood" with Writer/Creator/Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight and Actors Manu Bennett, Viva Bianca, and Lucy Lawless (Disc Two).
• SPARTACUS Fan Favorites with Liam McIntyre (HD, 10:11): The Actor counts down the top ten fan-favorite moments from the series.
• Scoring a Hit: Composer Joseph LoDuca (HD, 3:12): The Spartacus composer briefly discusses the details of his work on the show.
• An Eye Full: Roger Murray (HD, 3:41): The series' prosthetic & prop supervisor, Roger Murray, and its executive visual effects supervisor, Charlie McClellan, take a look at the series' graphic violence and the practical effects that are required to bring them to life.
• SPARTACUS: Paul Grinder (HD, 2:53): The series' 2nd unit director briefly discusses his work on the show, including some of the technical details of the shoot.
• The Last Word: John Hannah (HD, 8:03): The actor discusses his first audition and winning the role, the series' unique tone and structure, his doubts about playing a devious character, the series' viciousness, the core story and script (and choice bits of dialogue), his work with the cast, favorite moments, and more.

Spartacus: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spartacus: The Complete Collection doesn't contain all that much in terms of new special features; three commentaries and a handful of featurettes that run for a total of under 30 minutes are all that's included. But then again that's not really the point of this set. Instead, it's the unique packaging, the statue, and enjoying the entire series in one single package rather than fumbling through four (admittedly handsome) digibook releases. That said, this is still a release that die-hard fans will want to own, and it's the clear choice for collectors who have yet to buy any, or all, of the previous releases. However, it is worth noting that, at time of publication, this costs around $75 more than buying the series on a release-by-release basis, which may prove too steep for casual viewers. For others with the cash to spend on this collection, it comes highly recommended.