DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

arnoudwokke Simply the best acted series on Roman history I've eer seen.

ferdinand1932 From the opening sinister music theme I,Claudius grasps by the throat and never lets go. With material that covers almost all human depravity, naked ambition, sensual excess, madness, and the corruption of power it has all the ingredients.Livia Augusta as played by Sian Phillips perhaps bests exemplifies the series. She is a creature more malignant than Lady Macbeth, and more thrilling than just about any other female character in literature.Although hardly a history lesson the distortion of the actual history is not important. Graves's books and Jack Pulman's superb adaptation make this fascinating.All the performances are excellent, the sets wonderful (though the outdoor scenes are 'stagey'. Never mind its a trivial observation.) Watch it once and then watch it again, as it has so much.

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 Just like the novel, its accuracy as a historical document is dubious at best - the novel was a fictional presentation of emperor Claudius' fictional autobiography, and made its own speculations on many of the events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.

clivey6 Rent this and for the next few weeks that snaky, insidious theme tune will be inching its way across your subconscious. Especially as there's no other music in it, contributing to the stagey, slightly hollow presentation. Don't expect any long shots of the Colosseum or exciting chariot races, it's all on set.The historical context and arch dialogue delivered by star turns such as Sian Phillips, George Baker, Brian Blessed, Derek Jacobi and John Hurt may convince you that this is more highbrow drama than it really is. I enjoyed it, but it follows one theme: someone in the Roman court is overtly or covertly murdering their way to the succession either on their own or someone else's behalf, and the others are too dim or cowed to prevent it. I'm not sure how historically accurate it is, and watching innocent people get stitched up is only so entertaining in my book.It does get a bit repetitive after a while. Even the star turns are more entertaining than impressive. Phillips might be channelling Disney's Wicked Queen as Livia, while Hurt is not too far off Kenneth Williams in Carry On Cleo in his portrayal of Caligua.Some nasty stuff implied rather than seen but which would give Hostel 2 a run for its money make this non-family viewing, on the other hand those drawn to it for that reason would be disappointed by the lacklustre orgies. By disc four I had got quite depressed by its goings-on, there really seemed to be no respite from it. That's not to say it isn't very enjoyable at times, but it seems to peak just before Caligula's arrival.If you're still keen for a bit of Roman when you've completed the series, the movie Quo Vardis picks up where it left off, dealing with Emperor Nero's reign (Nero is well played by Christopher Biggins in I Claudius and Peter Ustinov in the movie).