Review of Spartacus (1960) by Jeff N — 17 May 2014

I simply don't understand the appeal of this film. Epics were a dime a dozen during this era and, for the most part, I can respect what was accomplished, although hearing and watching Shakespearean actors portray foreign roles is immensely annoying.

However, "Spartacus" is in a class by itself. Kirk Douglas is too American, too old and too wrong for this part in every way. Sir Laurence Olivier and Peter Ustinov save it from being a complete disaster, but attributing this snoozefest to Stanley Kubrick is just a shame.

The gladiator training scenes were boring and poorly choreographed. The big battle scene is too long and anti-climactic. Compared to "Ben-Hur," released the year prior, "Spartacus" is a bore.

I never care about Spartacus' hatred toward slavery. I never quite see the transformation from slave to revolutionary. It just happens. As a result, character development is mixed and, in some cases, completely lost.