300 Movie Review

300 (2006)

Rent 300 on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the graphic novel (paid link)
Written by: Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon (screenplay), Frank Miller and Lynn Varley (graphic novel)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, Michael Fassbender, Rodrigo Santoro
Rated: R
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Plot
King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C.

Verdict
Visually unique, 300 is a long, bloody battle until the end. Few movies are so heavily stylized, but it works in part because this movie is presented as a legendary tale featuring improbable odds and indomitable foes. Brave warriors willing to sacrifice are always engaging and this adds a distinct look and plenty of one liners. It's a movie certainly trying to be cool, but it succeeds by and large. There are a number of scenes that will make you think, how cool was that. No movie looks like this, and there are more than a few scenes that have become iconic.
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Review
I was blown away by this movie when I saw it in theaters. I had never seen a movie that looked this unique, and this changed, in my mind, what a movie could do. This has such a distinct visual style, though it does owe most of that style to the graphic novel as this is a frame for frame adaptation. While this is based on the Battle of Thermopylae, this is in no way a historical movie.

The first few scenes inform us what it means to be a Spartan through the rigorous training and abuse of a boy. That boy grows up to be King Leonidas (Gerard Butler). Xerces (Rodrigo Santoro) wants Sparta to submit, but Leonidas refuses. That's the start to the story.

Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas

From here Leonidas  leads a small army to defend Sparta. This movie is one long battle between the Spartans and Persia. Since this is bookended as Dilios (David Wenham) telling a story, it lends itself to fantastical elements like giant foes, animals, and great victory. It's a bit of a farce, as Dilios only knows the story up to a point. We don't know what parts he exaggerates.

This movie looks like a graphic novel. The color saturation is cranked, light bloom effects are extreme, and this look ties in to the idea that this is a tale someone is relaying. Very few movies would lend themselves to this look, but this one does. These factors make a surreal ancient epic look the part.

Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas

This movie isn't just violent, it's hyper-violent. The movie certainly is infatuated with being cool. From one liners, slow motion shots, and gruesome deaths, it does that well. This movie is cool, and that's the goal. There are so many scenes that are a lot of fun, like when the Persians loose so many areas it blots out the sun.

There is no shortage of fights, especially gory ones. The CGI blood is off the charts. So many movies save the big fight for the very end, but in this movie the battles towards the beginning rival the penultimate scenes in many movies. There is not a lot of story here, but that's not what this movie was meant to do. It's a frenetic adventure.

This movie is one big, long, cool battle. We know Spartans don't retreat no matter the adversary. Despite the odds we see them victorious time and again until finally Leonidas sends Dilios to tell their tale and request reinforcements. It's this tale that makes the narrative we've just seen.