Spartacus | 100 Movies Bucket List

I'd heard of this film in passing before seeing it on the bucket list, but I knew nothing about it. 

I didn't want to do too much research on it before I watched it, but I did see it being compared favourably to Gladiator, so that gave me an idea of what it would probably be about. 

The score of this movie is stunning. From the overture you already get the entire tone and feel for what the film will be, and moving forward the music underscores every scene really well. 

The way this was filmed really stuck out to me. There are a lot of really interesting and inventive shots, definitely for a 1960s movie but also by today's standards.

The fight scenes are some of the best scenes of the film, visually and narratively. It's really interesting to learn more about the characters through these scenes. Their fighting styles, and their actions throughout the fights tells us a lot about who they are, and how their characters have been written. 

One of my favourite things about the film was the relationship between Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) and Varinia (Jean Simmons). Not only did their interactions feel really authentic, but the actors had such great chemistry that it practically jumped off the screen every time they were together.

I think the reason this film is still so highly revered today is because of the writing. Everything about the story has been constructed so well that you feel invested and attached to the characters the whole way through.

All the actors were amazing. Obviously, Douglas completely carries the story as Spartacus and does a great job, but the supporting cast were great in their roles too.

While I wouldn't say that I preferred this film to Gladiator, I see why it's so well liked and why it was included in a list of classic movies.