"300" (2006)

300 Spartans vs. millions of Persians…well kind of. The newest movie by graphic novel writer Frank Miller (who also wrote Sin City), "300" is based loosely on the real Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. The story is told from the point of view of the Greeks, led by King Leonidas who defend their homeland from the threat of Persia.
A fleet of “millions” of Persians sail to Greece for war. The leader of the Persians is Xerxes, a self proclaimed God. While the film "300 "tells the eight hundred Greek warriors fighting the Persians, the real battle had a force of between four and seven thousand heavy infantry fighting for Greece. All experts agree that the Greeks were led by a force of three hundred Spartans -- all "sires," warriors chosen not only for skill, but also because they were fathers to male children, which would preserve their bloodlines after what was to be a suicide mission.The Persian army is numbered in the millions in the movie, while historians agree it was between sixty thousand and a quarter million.
But, "300" was, if anything, very “loosely” based on the real Battle of Thermopylae and it wasn’t meant to be taken as genuine historical facts. Thermopylae, defined as “Hot Gates” in the movie was the only way for Persia to enter Greece via a narrow pass bordered by a mountain wall on one side and the ocean on the other. King Leonidas leads his force of Spartans to this pass to defend their lands where they face wave after wave of Persian soldiers.
Death and destruction pave the way for glory in this epic film. Before the battle really starts, a Persian Archer calls out to the Spartans saying, “Our arrows will blot out the sun!” A Spartan retorts. “Then, we shall fight in the shade!” The Spartans hold their ground by fighting off massive waves of Persian attackers, using the famous Phalanx formation (forming an impenetrable a line of defense at a pass in the mountains).

"300" is excessively yet entertainingly violent, almost like playing an extremely brutal but enjoyable video game. It is an incredible visual experience. The film was shot over the course of 60 days in Montreal almost entirely in front of a blue screen (except for one outdoor shot). Post-production of the film was handled by a total of ten special effects companies and took one year to complete. Many sequences of film were de-saturated and tinted to establish different moods. Several computer programs dedicated alone to the “spraying blood” in the film. Kids, don’t go see this movie. It is rated “R” for “graphic battle sequences and some sexuality and nudity.”













(This picture above pretty much sums up the whole movie)


Critic Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times reviewed the film. “…director Zack Snyder has created a jaw-dropping, surrealistic dreamscape filled with stunning images, simmering and seriocomic homoeroticism, a topless oracle-babe, a sexy queen, larger-than-life warriors, hot love scenes, cutting-edge special effects and battle sequences so ambitious, you sometimes have to laugh at the sheer audacity of the whole thing.” Snyder has achieved a brilliantly seductive and enthralling film that has just set the bar for future blue screen productions.

A.O. Scott of the New York Times was not so receptive of the film, describing "300" as "about as violent as Apocalypto and twice as stupid," as well as criticizing its color scheme and suggesting that its plot includes racist undertones. Ephraim Lytle of the University of Toronto said, “300's Persians are monsters and freaks. Xerxes is eight feet tall, clad chiefly in many body piercings and garishly made up, but not disfigured. No need – it is strongly implied Xerxes is homosexual which, in the moral universe of "300", qualifies him for special freak hood. This is ironic given that pederasty was an obligatory part of a Spartan's education.”

Greek film critic Robby Eksiel said moviegoers would be dazzled by the "digital action" but irritated by the "pompous interpretations and one-dimensional characters." Some critics have seen the movie as a clash of “West vs. East”, a United States vs. Iran allegory (as Persia is modern day Iran). You shouldn’t read too deep into this movie though. Director Zach Snyder has repeatedly said it is nothing of the sort, merely an action film.

These Spartan men are 'real' men, fighting for glory and for their country. Outnumbered one-thousand to one is a good fight for them. They have been bred to fight since childhood. They are expelled to the wild as children and forced to survive before being accepted back as Men and as Spartans. They are the world’s finest soldiers.

Don’t go to this movie expecting a brilliantly conceived foreign film about a mesh of cultures and history. It’s a movie about brutality, sexuality, and entertainment. All of this is done in an all-encompassing viscerally brilliant visual hypnosis. Don’t look to this movie for facts of the real battle. The real battle involved a great many more people on the Spartans side. The Spartans were not perfectly shaped men. They were rough and sometimes unattractive men who indeed wore breastplates (they tend to show off their chiseled stomachs in 300) and wore unpretentious tunics. Persians are not monsters, and non-Greek warriors aren’t weaklings.

As Richard Roeper states in his review, “Snyder directs "300" as the tallest of tall tales -- a vivid dream. You want realism and devotion to the hard facts, watch the History Channel. You want to experience the Battle of Thermopylae as a nonstop thrill ride, here's your ticket.”

My score: 7/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

Critique: It really doesn't offer anything of substance besides mindless violence. If you want something violent to watch, this is it.