Blu-ray & DVD Review: Rome: The Complete Series

 

In season one, it is Ancient Rome and Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) is busy beating off the Gauls while his frenemy Pompey (Kenneth Cranham) sits comfortably back in Rome. The Senate keeps whispering in Pompey's ears, encouraging him to turn his back on his once-friend before Caesar stomps into Rome as a conquering tyrant. The entire first season is about the struggle between these two leaders, each one losing and then winning ground as they fight for differing opinions, but neither really win anything in the end. Meanwhile secret wars are being fought between Ceasar's viciously ambitious niece Atia (Polly Walker) and Caesar's once lover (and mother of notorious name Brutus) Servillia (Lindsay Duncan). The real heart of Rome is the two ordinary soldiers Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). Vorenus and Pullo are at odds in the beginning; Vorenus believes nothing is more important than honor, and Pullo enjoys just living life. Vorenus is serious and emotionally awkward, while Pullo is playful and brutish. They are the Odd Couple of Rome, and they are woven into every aspect of the show.

 

Vorenus and Pullo are under Caesar's command and when they are finally allowed home, Vorenus must deal with the fact his family thought he was dead. After eight years at war, he is a changed man and his lovely wife Niobe (Indira Varma) keeps from him the fact she had a bastard child while he was gone. He believes the baby to be his grandson instead, and tries to reconcile his cold ways with the genuine love he feels for Niobe. Pullo becomes the mentor of Atia's brilliant son Octavian (Max Pirkis) and falls in love with a slave. They are witnesses to Cleopatra's seduction of Caesar, the fall of Pompey, the murder of Caesar, and many other historical and fictional important moments of the show.

In season two, Caesar is dead (spoiler alert!) and Mark Antony (James Purefoy) manages to scare off all of his murderers when he talks the crowds into a furious riot. He starts to have a power struggle with Octavian, who is named Caesar's only heir, and the boy leaves to be educated and trained elsewhere. He eventually returns as an adult (now played by Simon Woods) to get his revenge. New alliances are formed and destroyed as the three factions work around one another: Octavian's young allies, Mark Antony's tired seasoned soldiers, and the foreign armies of Caesar's betrayers. Vorenus and Pullo become leaders of the criminal gangs to restore order to the city, and both try to shed off the tragedies that are thrown at them. Rome is a cruel and dangerous place, and none of the characters come out of it unscathed.

 

The show was critically acclaimed and nominated for various awards, and there is no doubt that Rome is one of the best made shows ever on television. No wonder it was so pricy! The BBC and HBO were very serious about making it as accurate as possible, creating whole villages and clothing and armor so it looked like they were truly in the ancient city. The acting is superb on all parts, with front runners McKidd and Stevenson especially playing the emotional and relatable parts of Vorenus and Pullo. It is a brilliant show that delves into the heart of humanity, showing the best and worst of the characters. Power, greed, hatred, love, violence, honor, friendship, betrayal ... this is all tied tightly together in a sharply written show. There are very few hiccups in the story of Rome, and it is frankly a masterpiece. There are complains that the show is a little gratuitous in terms of the constant sex and violence, but honestly it feels such an ingrained part of the show that you stop noticing. The audience has to completely embrace this culture, and once they do they stop worrying about things like murdering children and marrying the man that killed your husband.

Watching this on the Blu-ray is like taking the original pleasant experience and multipying it by ten. The 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer makes the colors so gorgeous and vibrant, and every single expression on the actors face is so detailed you feel like they are literally standing a few feet away from you. The sound, either in the exotic music or in loud crashing battles, comes out perfectly and each word of dialogue is clear and direct. There are a great deal of extras and features in this pack, so let's start first with the episode commentaries. The writer/co-creator Bruno Heller teams up with the historical producer Jonathan Stamp, and many of the commentaries are done by them. Having Stamp there is a stroke of genius, because he will go on these fascinating diatribes about Roman history and it's actually interesting even for non-history fans. Stevenson and McKidd both do commentaries in the set, with Stevenson being so lively and amusing that his is by far the best. McKidd does a reasonable job himself, although he seems as serious as his character so he only interjects when there is something important to say. Several other episode directors and actors show up on episode commentary, and each one is worth listening to since they provide a new outlook on the show.

 

Noted extras include a deep analysis of all characters in Rome called "Friends, Romans, Countrymen," a shot by shot look at Caesar's last stand, special looks at some of the major battles in the show, a discussion of the accuracy of the show called "When in Rome," historical looks at the real men and women behind the characters, and a handful of others. If you enjoyed Rome, these bonus features will give you hours of extra time to get to the real meat of the behind the scenes action. I could honestly spend a day listening to Stamp talk about Augustus' rise to power, but that's just me. This is an excellent package deal and if you missed the show when it was on the air, now is your chance to catch up. This was one of HBO's most ambitious and well made projects to date, and it deserves enormous credit for what it accomplished. Rome: The Complete Series is out now on DVD and Blu-ray, but I personally would suggest the Blu-ray if you have a player. This kind of show really exists to be in high definition. Be aware this is a very mature show with nudity, sex, violence, and gore.

ComicsOnline.com gives Rome: The Complete Series 5 out of 5 bloody gladiators.