Who saw 300?

Question

Who saw 300?

Answer 1

The ads tell you to "prepare for glory" as 300 Spartans go to war against an army of Persians, numbering 250,000, in the film version of Frank Miller's graphic novel about the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae. My advice is to prepare your eyes for popping -- hell, they just might fly out of their sockets -- in the face of such turbocharged visuals. Those who saw Robert Rodriguez's 2005 film of Miller's Sin City, will have some idea of what's in store: Actors perform against blank screens on which backgrounds are drawn to represent the panels Miller created for Dark Horse Comics in 1998. There are times when the process, however stunning, can suck the air out of a scene and make the viewer feel boxed in. But director Zack Snyder, who did a bang-up job on the remake of Dawn of the Dead, keeps the action roaring. Spears, swords and other handy phallic symbols pierce skin with startling regularity, causing great gushes of cartoon blood that make it really sticky for guys to walk in sandals.

And what guys! Decked out like gladiators in a gay fashion layout, the soldiers from the Greek city-state of Sparta look gym-ready for battle in crotch-squeezing ensembles that expose as much flesh as an R rating will allow. Manliest of all is The Phantom of the Opera's Gerard Butler as Leonidas, the king with no patience for the cowards and boy-lovers on the Greek council. Dominic West plays Theron, a sleazy politician keen on stopping Leonidas from inciting war against the Persians. Theron denigrates the theory that the Persians intend to dominate the world and unleash their weapons of mass destruction, including mutant rhinos, elephants and a masked army called the Immortals. That leaves Leonidas no choice, after a short break to refresh the missus, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), but to round up 300 of his bravest bodyguards and embark on a doomed mission against the Persians. The king does everything but sing Bruce Springsteen's "No Surrender" to rally the troops. The trick is to bottle up the pesky Persians in a narrow mountain pass.

As you might guess, 300 dazzles as spectacle, but as history it's dodgy. The film's queer eye focuses hard on Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), the Persian king who fancies himself a god and keeps insisting that Leonidas get on his knees before him. Leonidas has more than a touch of Mel Gibson in him, and he will not comply. This causes Xerxes to pout and add more jewelry to his body armor. Meanwhile, back home in Sparta, Queen Gorgo tries to persuade Theron to rally the council to help her husband by submitting to Theron's S&M sexual desires. He backs her against a wall, lifts her toga and drills away with a few murmurs about how "this will not be over quickly, and you will not enjoy it." But since we're in Miller territory, you can bet Gorgo will make Theron gag on his words.

The rest is all battle, all the time. And fanboys will thrill to the carnage and presumably forgive the puffed-up dialogue and regrettable lack of characterization. 300 is a movie blood-drunk on its own artful excess. Guys of all ages and sexes won't be able to resist it.

Answer 2

Good movie. Entertaining. Graphically excellent. Much much better than both the Alexander and Troy movies.

BUT.
Although this is a Hollywood production and not that of the History channel:

1) Persians look like deformed monsters and very unsophisticated. This is insulting to their civilization that had achieved a lot by 480BC.

2) The Greeks fight like barbarians - only twice do they fight in phalanx formation - the rest of the time they fight as mad barbarians more appropriately resembling battles of the dark ages.

3) When out routed - the Spartans seem to want to stay to defend the pass - just because the desperately want a "beautiful death" - nothing is hinted on the idea that they stayed to cover the retreat of their fellow allies.

4) There is no Athenian figure at all through out the movie. It is made to look as if Athens was minimally involved.

5) I'm half Greek and the history of the Persian Wars is very dear to me as to all Greeks. However, I did not feel emotional at the death of the Spartans in the movie - something that instead I did feel reading the book by Steven Pressfield "Gates of Fire".

Nevertheless, it is a good movie and entertaining which should inspire people to read about the history and how the Persian Wars were key to the outcome of Western civilization.

Answer 3

Would people please stop putting real history into a author's fantasy. If reality is places in every movie we see there will be no more fun imaginary ideas left. we all live in the real word why can't we live in a fantasy once in a while. What happened to pure fun entertainment. This is what 300 is all about. Pure fun entertainment.

Answer 4

Ranks up there with the likes of Last Samurai, Gladiator, Troy, Braveheart, 13th Warrior or any other movie that inspires you to engage in lethal combat in the parking lot.

All kidding aside it was awesome. Highly stylized and great telling of the story. Can't wait for the DVD.

Answer 5

i saw 300.

Answer 6

I went to the movies and watched with my husband. That was probably the first movie that I literally wanted to see a few more times in the theater! I guarantee that it will be the best action movie of the year!!! Make sure you see it in the theater! I would give it a 10+!

Answer 7

I just saw it and I loved it. Great special effects and the story was entertaining. And my goodness I thought I was going to faint with all of the hot bodies in the movie...guys and girls! I'm going to watch it again.

Answer 8

Fabulous movie! Inspiring! It made me want to go home and lift weights, LOL!

But, seriously, the pace was good, the acting was fine (nothing to write to the Academy Awards about but good, nonetheless).

Both my boyfriend and I liked it and he's into action. He loved the war scenes, they were good and gory. I loved the beauty of the scenes, the sets, the costumes, it was like paintings come to life...

Answer 9

i saw it just 4 days ago! it was amazing! it's great! it's like the matrix with all those cool moves. but i can't believe what happened at the end: the king misses the perjin (the perjins are the enemy) king with his spear then the king and most of his army died.

Answer 10

It is, I think, the best attempt to wed the genre of movie and comic book. The comic book aesthetic oozes from the screen, and the feel is that larger than life four colour (flesh, black, sepia and blood red) feel.

Answer 11

Well i saw it and i thought it was going to be better dont get me wrong the fighting parts were awsome i just think it lacked somthing more story mor details i dont really know what it was it was just lacking but it was a cool sight