300 (Fullscreen Edition)

     Like Sin City before it, 300 brings Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's graphic novel vividly to life. Gerard Butler (Beowulf and Grendel, The Phantom of the Opera) radiates pure power and charisma as Leonidas, the Grecian king who leads 300 of his fellow Spartans (including David Wenham of The Lord of the Rings, Michael Fassbender, and Andrew Pleavin) into a battle against the overwhelming force of Persian invaders. Their only hope is to neutralize the numerical advantage by confronting the Persians, led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), at the narrow strait of Thermopylae. More engaging than Troy, the tepid and somewhat similar epic of ancient Greece, 300 is also comparable to Sin City in that the actors were shot on green screen, then added to digitally created backgrounds. The effort pays off in a strikingly stylized look and huge, sweeping battle scenes. However, it's not as to-the-letter faithful to Miller's source material as Sin City was. The plot is the same, and many of the book's images are represented just about perfectly. But some extra material has been added, including new villains (who would be considered "bosses" if this were a video game, and it often feels like one) and a political subplot involving new characters and a significantly expanded role for the Queen of Sparta (Lena Headey). While this subplot by director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) and his fellow co-writers does break up the violence, most fans would probably dismiss it as filler if it didn't involve the sexy Headey. Other viewers, of course, will be turned off by the waves of spurting blood, flying body parts, and surging testosterone. (The six-pack abs are also relentless, and the movie has more and less nudity--more female, less male--than the graphic novel.) Still, as a representation of Miller's work and as an ancient-themed action flick with a modern edge, 300 delivers.

      Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy. The film brings Miller's acclaimed graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale.

    Like Miller's graphic novel, 300 relentlessly emphasizes the Spartan ideals of valour, glory and sacrifice. The movie's exaggerated machismo may beg for an ironic attitude as counterbalance but the material is played straight-faced save for Butler's few moments of cheek. Inevitably, 300's singularity of tone and purpose makes the later stages arduous to weather. Likewise, the initially gripping scenes of mayhem feel repetitious by the time of the umpteenth impalement, such that the more unexpected images -- a boy survivor walking out of a destroyed city, a barely clad teenage girl dancing out a message from the gods -- have the most resonance...The dudes will love it anyway. Dames will, too, though that may have less to do with Snyder's decision to enlarge the role of Leonidas' wife Gorgo (Lena Headey) than 300's smorgasbord of beefcake, one largely unparalleled outside the realms of gay porn and Chippendales revues.

Comment:
     I didn't see 300 when it appeared in theaters. Like many, I had briefly studied the history of the battle of Thermopylae, and found the story intriguing. However, I expected 300 to be nothing but a series of fight scenes with little else to contribute. I also shied away from its popularity, as I strive to avoid most fads. How wrong I was. 300 presents a deep retelling of an historic battle, leaving the audience pondering the virtues of honor, duty, and glory. It is relatively short for this sort of historical movie, which lends to its ability to be watched over and over again. The cinematography is absolutely amazing, and the stunt fighting is so well choreographed and executed that you really leave the story with a renewed understanding of the dominance of the Spartan military. Although not technically historically accurate in places (though it's hard to be sure of history that occurred more than 2000 years ago), 300 does do a good job of communicating the ideals of Spartan culture. Also, some of the dialogue is actually historically attributed to the characters who spoke them (such as Queen Gorgo's quip that only Spartan women give birth to real men), and Spartans leaving for battle were indeed reminded to "come back with your shield, or on it" (as the shield was used to protect not only the individual but other Spartan warriors, if the shield was lost it was assumed that it was abandoned in an attempt to flee, which constituted a high crime). Gerard Butler, with his intense and moving screen presence, was the perfect choice for King Leonidas (and also, amazingly, had the strength and fortitude to perform all of his own stunt fighting). Also notable were Dominic West in his portrayal of devious and sleazy Theron, Michael Fassbender as the Spartan warrior Stelios (who is not a major character, but whose valor and fighting skills are surpassed only by Leonidas, in my opinion), and David Wenham portraying Delios, the narrator and Spartan warrior with a penchant for words. Lastly, it deserves mentioning that the actors playing the Spartan warriors represent the pinnacle of physical fitness; man or woman could easily lose themselves staring into the chiseled abdominals, the surging back muscles, or the powerful thighs. 300 is recommended for anyone intrigued by Greek history, anyone seeking a good action movie, anyone seeking to be uplifted by a story of free men fighting to maintain their independence against a tyrant, and anyone who has any appreciation for beautiful cinematography. In short, 300 is recommended for anyone.This movie is a gripping masterpiece not only because of its action but also because of the way in which if is filmed. I believe that this was shot with Citizen Kane in mind. The dramatic screen shots to the slow motion capture emotion that if not used might have categorized this as a "B" movie.One of the best movies I've ever seen, and blu-ray gives you such detail u can count the abs of actors at the back of the set and blood splatter oh so beautiful In the great spirit of sin city. Great retelling of the classic story at Thermopolae. Great character development of Leonidas by Miller.