The revival of the Aussie version of the undisputed king of game shows based around physical competition is well-produced and entertaining, with two satisfying winners at the end of the line. The Gladiators themselves are not quite at the level of their predecessors, but there are some gems in there, especially Halo who - perhaps surprisingly - turns out to be the most efficient of the group. But if a second season is made, it could do with a few tweaks: faster pacing (we don't really need an interview before and after EVERY event), more events (the new one in this version, The Edge, is pretty cool), and a tad fewer corny puns (they are literally everywhere). 7/10 on the whole.
5 Reviews
No live audience.
tgrcs28 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
It's a total vibe killer that there is no live audience, hence the ZERO (" IT FACTOR ",) the show is completely lost to the home viewers.
The 1995 original also acquired better hosts, Gladiators with a vibrant, fun, dominating and afunny assortment of personalities.
I'm currently watching at the moment as I am writing this review and it just continues to remain flat.
Powerball has became a snooze fest of sleepy non existent entertainment.
Pull the plug on the show and if it ever gets renewed again, look to the 1995 original series to bring the entertainment and desperate energy, that the program is continuing to showcase !!
The 1995 original also acquired better hosts, Gladiators with a vibrant, fun, dominating and afunny assortment of personalities.
I'm currently watching at the moment as I am writing this review and it just continues to remain flat.
Powerball has became a snooze fest of sleepy non existent entertainment.
Pull the plug on the show and if it ever gets renewed again, look to the 1995 original series to bring the entertainment and desperate energy, that the program is continuing to showcase !!
Cringe
HorrorVision15 March 2024
There is no audience to bring the excitement and the Gladiators are like twigs. As a fan of the 80's and 90's versions, and a huge fan of the earlier Australian version, it was a huge let down to see regular people pretending to be great Gladiators, whilst missing the brief. As usual, a great idea that hasn't been thought through, or has relied solely on the success of it's predecessors. In short, try and get your hands on some real Gladiator action from a time with fewer restrictions and a happier, healthier human race. This will only make you cringe and reminisce the human spirit, which has since fizzled out.
Misses the point completely
mikecoopey27 April 2024
I loved Gladiators growing up in the UK, but this is my first experience of the Australian version. First impressions were it's aiming for something much bigger with the whole Greek gods opening. Aussies love turning their reality shows up to 11, but it just comes off as cheesy. The budget effects, costumes and limp catchphrases were laughable more than powerful. That continues into the show, sadly, with far more emphasis on the smack talking drama of the rivalries than the games themselves with the painfully slow first 20 mins barely having 60 seconds of action. Instead of doing what it was supposed to, the show wanted to deliver this rogue's gallery of grisly, wooden characters, stomping about and snarling at the camera.
Everything was just frustratingly and excruciatingly slow. Even the referee's "ARE YOU READY? 3... 2... 1" was so draaaawn oooouuut for, you know, DRAMA, and another opportunity to squeeze in more smack talk from the Gladi-haters. So slow, in fact that the very first game had the Gladiator barked at for a false start. Even He couldn't wait to get started, although I'm guessing it was fabricated for more DRAMA.
All this slow pace unnecessarily stuffed with snarling smack talk was made all the worse by the lack of an audience (!!). The lack of an audience desperately needed to lift the energy also meant there was no positive reenforcement for the contestants who were grossly outnumbered by the aggressive Glads continuing to hurl yet more smack talk behind the scenes as the games (FINALLY) began. With all the snarling rivalry from the Gladiators and even the snarling rivalry between the contestants, this just makes for a pretty ugly ride. I think it thinks it's fun, but there's nothing fun here. It's clearly trying to bring that MAFS/Love Island reality DRAMA to what should be a fun, lighthearted game show and it just makes for unpleasant viewing.
Cheesiness aside, all-in-all this is a joyless, drawn out ride, with far too much attention paid to wanting you to BOOOO at the villains that they forgot what is really important: FUN. It definitely had me BOOOING, and yawning, and reaching for the off button.
Everything was just frustratingly and excruciatingly slow. Even the referee's "ARE YOU READY? 3... 2... 1" was so draaaawn oooouuut for, you know, DRAMA, and another opportunity to squeeze in more smack talk from the Gladi-haters. So slow, in fact that the very first game had the Gladiator barked at for a false start. Even He couldn't wait to get started, although I'm guessing it was fabricated for more DRAMA.
All this slow pace unnecessarily stuffed with snarling smack talk was made all the worse by the lack of an audience (!!). The lack of an audience desperately needed to lift the energy also meant there was no positive reenforcement for the contestants who were grossly outnumbered by the aggressive Glads continuing to hurl yet more smack talk behind the scenes as the games (FINALLY) began. With all the snarling rivalry from the Gladiators and even the snarling rivalry between the contestants, this just makes for a pretty ugly ride. I think it thinks it's fun, but there's nothing fun here. It's clearly trying to bring that MAFS/Love Island reality DRAMA to what should be a fun, lighthearted game show and it just makes for unpleasant viewing.
Cheesiness aside, all-in-all this is a joyless, drawn out ride, with far too much attention paid to wanting you to BOOOO at the villains that they forgot what is really important: FUN. It definitely had me BOOOING, and yawning, and reaching for the off button.
Same events, same camp, same feeling
jdarragh715 January 2024
Fan of the original series from back in the day and the reboot has not changed anything at all.
It has the same campy characters and the same events. They are talking the same smack talk.
I do not care what anyone else says this show is just as so bad it's good as it was back in the 90s.
Can't wait to see more from the Gladiators as they slap around the cocky challengers. Just need the old Ref back and it will be like travelling back in time. Monday night is an interesting choice of the time slot though as it's a late night for the children to stay up and watch it all.
I just couldn't stop grinning like a kid throughout the entire first event!
It has the same campy characters and the same events. They are talking the same smack talk.
I do not care what anyone else says this show is just as so bad it's good as it was back in the 90s.
Can't wait to see more from the Gladiators as they slap around the cocky challengers. Just need the old Ref back and it will be like travelling back in time. Monday night is an interesting choice of the time slot though as it's a late night for the children to stay up and watch it all.
I just couldn't stop grinning like a kid throughout the entire first event!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
