...stayed for the History!
Well, having seen Dr. Scott's film on Thermopylae and the Spartan 300 (recommended) I watched all episodes of this short series and found them fascinating.
You will watch this mainly for the historical basis, not the acting.
Having said that it does create the atmosphere of Ancient battles very well with a modest budget.
If you are used to seeing documentaries where six re-enactors refight the whole of Stalingrad you will find this a bit different. 400 'extras' were used for the fight scenes, close cropped, and on the whole period tactics of line vs line were very well done. No open order melodramatic 'charges'. No Braveheart melee tropes. Solid, deep Phalanx shieldwalls advance in steady steps with long spears pushing at lighter armed equally dense Persian formations.
With reasonably good uniform details it gives a fair & considered impression of an Ancient battle.
The historical narrative and commentary is the value of this series. It gives an objective narrative, great detail and excellent strategic/tactical descriptions/discussions.
It's a balanced view, with strengths of both Greek and Persian armies acknowledged, and enough detail to flesh out the tale much more than many of the budget documentaries consigned to streaming channels.
I forgive the acting, which is a bit of a poor man's I Clavdivs. With antipodean accents. Lots of them.
Until you've heard Leonidas say "We are SpaARta" in an Oz accent you haven't lived. I was expecting the token, inaccurate 'Parliamentary' debating to begin by opening a few tinnies, and the occasional "G'day Bruce".
But while you can see better acting in a big budget Hollywood production, you won't see better historical content. So forgive the acting and enjoy the cerebral experience.
Worth watching if you like Ancient History.
