Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Zetram This is simply an amazing show. The cinematography is incredible and the intrigue is great. A show that depicts a both dark and bright era of the Roman Empire when the Roman Republic has become something of the past yet still held in many people's hearts. The show sets the tone early when with it's mixture of sadness, dark humor, violence, joy, anger, and intrigue. One of the best drama of it's time with characters from our pages of history. The acting is fantastic and the dialogue is simply surreal and fascinating.Derek Jacobi and the rest of the cast simply out do themselves in this great show with their top quality acting I rarely see. The make up and the sets are incredibly well done despite it's time. I truly recommend this show to fans of Roman history and fans of suspenseful shows with a lot of intrigue within the life of the Imperial Roman families.

itamarscomix One of the true masterpieces of British television, I Claudius is very theatric in style and production and relies on a limited amount of backgrounds and on no-too-convincing makeup effects, but the acting and dialog are so good that none of it matters, and the story recreates Roman high society so well, it's very easy to forget just how much like a theater stage the sets look.I Claudius is a perfect adaptation of Robert Graves' fantastic novel. Just like the novel, its accuracy as a historical document is dubious at best - the novel was a fictional presentation of emperor Claudius' fictional autobiography, and made its own speculations on many of the events depicted, and the series does the same; Cladudius, believed by many historians to have been a barely competent, half-witted, and often cruel and violent leader, is in Graves' account the wisest and most sane man in the Roman empire; considering the fact that the story is presented from his viewpoint, though, that actually makes a lot of sense. Anyway, it doesn't matter much, because the depiction of Roman life and politics is incredibly effective and compelling, and very informative too, as long as you take it with a pinch of salt.The cast is perfect too, and it breathes life and energy into what might have become, with lesser actors, a slowly-moving and difficult watch, turning it into a compelling and involving drama. Some of the UK's finest actors start out here, and some experienced TV actors make standout roles; for some it's the role of a career. Brian Blessed, George Baker and John Hurt are fantastic and unforgettable as emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula respectively. Hurt and Blessed are wonderfully over the top, while George Baker gives what is arguably the most subtle and best performance of the series; also fantastic are the very young (with hair!) Patrick Stewart, and of course Sian Phliips as the ambitious and ruthless Livia.Then there's Derek Jacobi as Claudius - the role that made his career. Jacobi is endearing and impressive as the emperor, and he completed the PR makeover that Robert Graves started from him years before, turning him into the most popular Roman emperor in contemporary times. The series' main flaw though, is that it compresses the whole of the second novel - the period of Claudius' days as emperor - into barely three episodes, which means that many of his accomplishments are skipped, while a lot more emphasis is put on his failure at family life and on his superstitious nature, making his reign seem like the lowest possible point of his life. It's forgivable, though, because that means that Blessed, Baker and Hurt get much more screen time, and let's face it - bad emperors are much more interesting than good ones.

TheLittleSongbird I'll try to add to the other reviews that sum up I Claudius so brilliantly, but my feeling is that what needs to be said about it has been said. Superlative is the best way to sum up how phenomenal I Claudius is, it is one of those rarities where everything works and there is nothing whatsoever about it.The settings, photography and costumes are superb and very authentic, the mini-series is directed absolutely beautifully and the story is compelling. And I almost to say that I feel I Claudius is one of the best written mini-series out there, both in dialogue and characterisation, or that Derek Jacobi, John Hurt and Sian Phillips give some of their very best work here.Overall, superlative. 10/10 Bethany Cox

nycmec I think this series is terribly overrated. I kept watching through the whole thing, hoping it would get better, but it just got campier and campier when Caligula came on the scene. Sian Phillips anchors the first half of this series with fine acting, but after Livia's death, I felt my interest wane. There is some good acting, but quite a fair amount of bad (Augustus Cesar in particular). The series is overly driven by plot--even over 13 episodes the series feels like a rote telling of events rather than a fully realized drama. This is an historical soap opera, all surface and no depth. For those who rate this the finest television series ever, I would refer them to "The Wire," which maintains characters and a narrative over five seasons brilliantly.