300

Directed by Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad
Gerard Butler (King Leonideas
Lena Headly (Queen Gorgo)
Dominic West (Theron)

Many critics try to compare 300 to other films based on graphic novels like Sin City and Gladiator, however I think there really is no comparison. 300 takes the portrayal of graphic novels to a whole new level, one that will undoubtedly be emulated but not topped anytime soon. The film is an action-packed, gory, testosterone laden cinema-graphic masterpiece; or about as far away from a chick-flick as you can get.
A storyteller, a Spartan warrior himself, narrates for us as the film opens up with a young prince; Leonidas, hunting a monstrous wolf. We learn that he like all Spartans is taught from a very young age not to feel pain for themselves or others. Ancient Greece is a tough neighborhood - everyone wants a piece of it, not least of all the god-like king of Persia, Xerces.
Leonidas hand picks three hundred (hence the name) of his best warriors to fight back the Persian Hordes at Thermopylae, a narrow mountain straight & Greece’s best natural defense from Persia. When the men see the advancing enemy numbering in the thousands their reaction can only be described as ‘Well, is this the best you can do?” And the bloodbath begins.
Besides the brave warriors and their king there are also many other memorable characters in this film including mutant monsters, a horribly deformed hunchback, a seductive oracle and creepy ogre-like priests.
But Gerard Butler really does steal the show with an excellent job as acting the fearless leader role. His loyal queen Leda may be the model Spartan woman herself, who are obviously taught from an early age to stand by their men and always keep a knife handy in their togas. While he and his men are out slaughtering Persians, Leda rallies the council to send more troops to her husbands aide. She has to handle the devious Theron (Dominic West) who wants nothing more than control of the council and her of course.
Once the action starts in 300 it never stops. The stop action cinematography, spectacular CG effects and rousing soundtrack combine to make this a roller-coaster ride from beginning to end. The backgrounds, though entirely fake, are breathtaking and they are obviously a growing trend in cinema as computer technology becomes better and shooting on-locale becomes more expensive. But with this sort of film I don’t think with this sort of story it could have been done better any other way and all involved truly did a fantastic job.

4 Stars