Obviously, Snyder and company know who their audiences are. The film is overripe with testosterone, especially with the heavy metal soundtrack. The battle scenes are well-choreographed and rendered, and the stylized violence, gore, and dismemberments are oddly pleasing (at least aesthetically). Yet the females get to have their beefcakes, too. If you're looking for something deeper and better rounded, this might not be for you. And those who have been spoiled by Lord of the Rings may not find this movie all that impressive. However, historical accuracies and lack of character development aside, 300 is a spectacle that should appeal to fans of graphic novels and fantasies.
Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Andrew Tierman, Rodrigo Santoro
Director: Zack Snyder
Writers: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Michael Gordon (based on graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley)
Distributor: Warner Bros
MPAA Rating: R for graphic violence, battle sequences, sexuality and nudity
Running Time: 117 Minutes
Ratings:
Script: 6
Performance: 7
Direction: 8
Cinematography: 9
Music/Sound: 7
Editing: 7
Production: 9
Total: 7.3 out of 10
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Article comments
1 - gan
Everyone seems to be surprised by how well this movie is doing, and yet the reason is so clear:
'300' is about achieving glory and victory in war no matter how impossible the odds, and despite what an obvious assessment of the facts would suggest. In short, it is a fantasy that we Americans are desperately yearning for at this particular moment, as one very real fact has become unavoidably clear and final: the war in Iraq has been totally, and unconditionally lost. And yet, the atmosphere of denial is so thick in this country, you would need a battle axe to cut through it. The American National Ego, a collective identity formed around a self image of unquestioned superiority over all other nations and peoples, has been eviscerated in Iraq, torn to pieces by a smaller, underequipped, yet strategically superior guerilla force. (Ironically, the smaller Iraqi surgents share more in common with the Spartans than the US). Unable to grapple with this fact, and by doing so re-direct our foreign policy based upon a sober, if painful asessment of the facts, we instead, escape into our fantasies.
An ostrich may bury it's head in the sand, but US consumers simply go to the movies.
2 - James
Dude, it's just a movie
3 - Phillip Winn
Plus, there are at least two sides to any view of the film. For example, here are Victor Davis Hanson and Ephraim Lytle, holding opposite views on the history behind the movie.
4 - mzafrica
I would like to know the name of the guy that played the persian messenger. I think he is so handsome. Could someone please tell me his name. thanks
5 - Ray
Peter Mensah played the messenger.