300 Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Prepare for glory!
Feel the wrath in IMAX
Spartans, tonight, we dine in hell!
Based on Frank Miller's Graphic Novel
Pledged to crush!
Thirsty for Spartan blood!
This is where we fight, this is where they die!!
What does it mean to turn one of the great graphic novels of our time into a major motion picture?
It is spring 480 BC, Persian King Xerxes, continuing his father Darius' master plan to conquer the Hellenic city-states, arrives in Hellas. The previous Persian invasion and diplomatic attempts have already turned most northern Hellas tribes and states to the Persian side. But the people of Athens and Sparta, the largest Hellenic powers at the time, feel quite insulted by the Persian emissaries' request to surrender to Xerxes, and so slay them. In Sparta, King Leonidas consults the local oracle, who gives two options: Either a spartan king will have to be sacrificed, or Sparta will be burned to the ground. A year earlier (481, BC) a Panhellenic consortium of all southern city-states had already recognized the superiority of the Spartan army (the best organized and trained army at the time) and had declared King Leonidas as supreme commander of the combined Hellenic army. It is then decided that a small force should block Xerxes' way to southern Hellas in the Thermopylae passage. This passage was, at that time, 12 meters wide. The great historian Herodotus, possibly exaggerating, states that there were 1,700,000 Persians (their true number could have been anywhere from 100,000 to 1,000,000) against 7,000 Hellenic hoplites and slaves, including the 300 men of the Spartan King elite guard. King Xerxes waited four days for the Hellenes to be frightened and eventually surrender and was quite astonished by his opponents' complete apathy. Xerxes tried to convince Leonidas to drop weapons, give up his position, kneel before him and live on as a local governor under Xerxes. King Leonidas replied "molon lave," which means "Come and get them." The three-day battle began, with the 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians (the other Hellenes where sent by Leonidas to protect passages to their flanks) slaying thousands of Persians with minimal losses. The whole Persian campaign would have failed if it hadn't been for Efialtes, who showed Xerxes a secret passage to the Hellenic flanks. After a final battle led by King Xerxes himself, the Hellenic force was slain and their heroism and glory was written forever in history. From the beginning of the battle, the Hellenes buried their dead in the spot where they fell. Then battle signs where made for the dead of each Hellenic faction. For the Pelloponisians, (including the 300 Spartans) the sign generally read (free translation) "In this place 4,000 Pelloponisians fought 30 millions)." For the 300 Spartans (Lakaedaemonians), the sign reads (free translation) "Oh foreigner, tell the Lakaedaemonians that we are buried here obeying their laws," meaning that they never hesitated and never retreated from the enemy. The impact of the battle was enormous for both sides. The Persians' morale dropped to zero, and the Hellenes lost their fear for the Persian conqueror and organized their defense. After several successful battles, the Hellenes ultimately defeated the Persian army and repelled their invasion in the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC.
| Gerard Butler | King Leonidas |
| Lena Headey | Queen Gorgo |
| Dominic West | Theron |
| David Wenham | Dilios |
| Vincent Regan | Captain |
| Michael Fassbender | Stelios |
| Tom Wisdom | Astinos |
| Andrew Pleavin | Daxos |
| Andrew Tiernan | Ephialtes |
| Rodrigo Santoro | Xerxes |
| Giovani Cimmino | Pleistarchos |
| Stephen McHattie | Loyalist |
| Greg Kramer | Ephor #1 |
| Alex Ivanovici | Ephor #2 |
| Craig Kelly | Oracle Girl |
| Zack Snyder |
7.80 out of 10 (227979 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Totally awful
posted on 28 Aug 2009There is nothing positive I can say about it but if you like porn action super hero cartoons, you MAY like this movie (300).The real historical story of this battle is nice but what I saw had nothing to do with that history!The animations and special effects seems so unreal so don't try to compare it to Gladiator or even Alexander but you can just consider it as a draft animation done as a practice.The battle scenes were poorly created, no details, no real sense and all you see is just blood pouring everywhere.BESIDES AND MOST IMPORTANT,it's shameful to show a nation, a great empire and civilization as beasts, monsters and strange creatures! IT IS NOTHING BUT INSULT, can anybody name it something else? I believe movie makers owes Persians a public apology!Anyway I feel I wasted my time to watch this comic awful movie.
totally against history
posted on 28 Aug 2009The movie is totally distorting the historical facts about Persians. WB should be ashamed to produce such a baseless product. The historical background is far from honesty. It's not acceptable that you falsify the fact that has been frequently proved in the history. Before using historical points to make films, you should study not to show something against reality! Lots of people have seen this film, who is going to answer Persians about the lies in this film? Unfortunately, Warner has got influenced by political games. but you should keep in your mind that Art is not a tool for political goals. Film producers must respect the history, the facts, and the art. No one can change history! Even WB!
The best film I've ever seen
posted on 28 Aug 2009After having read some pretty ignorant comments I felt obliged to clarify some important points;First of all, the persian empire of 500 BC has absolutely NOTHING to do with Iran or iranian people. Presuming that it does, one can also say that grand part of the world is Roman, that's how far the Roman Empire stretched out. Ludicrous assumption isn't it?Second of all, I would advice people to go to school, read a book and take some history lessons. Frank Miller's 300 and its soliloquies are absolutely based on historical facts. Remember, it's a film and not a documentary, therefore it's natural that the characters, fight-scenes and storyline are embellished.Third of all, propaganda for racism? Propaganda against Muslims? Dear people, persians weren't Islamic till the Arab invasion which was in the year 650, more than 1000 years after the Greco-persian war. Racism? There's is nothing racist about the film, if you read the actual story you will be shocked by some of Leonidas' utterances. Furthermore, it's not the film that has such controversial thoughts or messages regarding race and sexuality, but it's HISTORY.For the people whining about the exultations containing the words 'Sparta' and 'Glory': It's a film about the valorous Spartan 300, what else did you expect!?About the film:This is the best film I've ever seen. Everything is perfect; the story line, which is actually true and very close to the known historical facts, the way it is filmed, the cast and the music. Everything is in perfect harmony to give the viewers an incredible, unforgettable and exciting experience.As for the Spartans, yes they were built well and strong, this to motivate their compatriots to fight at their sides. Some thought they didn't need any armour, for they said to be the seed of Hercules himself. They had heavy and strong armour though.The persians outnumbered them, as they were forced by their ruler they didn't fight with their harts and souls. History tells us that over 60.000 persians died at the hands of the valorous and brave '300' Spartans. xerxes cowardly watching from a distance, stood up from his throne 3 times in disbelief of how these few valorous Spartans slaughtered his numerous enslaved soldiers.Frank Miller's 300 took the number 1 spot on my list, Braveheart, which is a great film stands strong at number 2.
Spirit of the times
posted on 28 Aug 2009This is not meant to be a textbook re-enactment of the Battle of Thermopylae but in all the main actions of the historical event it is actually accurate. What is interesting about the film is that it goes underneath the facts and creates a fascinating, atmospheric and claustrophobic narrative. It is a visually stunning, stylised piece of cinema. So why the vociferous critics? Well, for one thing the Spartans appeared to have forgotten their body armour and are fighting only with helmet, shield, spear and .. what appear to be loincloths. And Xerxes is portrayed as a sadistic S&M type. The style of the Spartan dress, or should I say undress, is lifted straight from ancient Greek art and while Xerxes was certainly no S&M club fan, as far as we know, his cruelty was legendary. What the film has achieved is to represent with such style the spirit of Thermopylae as well as that of the Spartans and their legendary status in the ancient world. The Persian army is, admittedly, an OTT portrayal yet, somehow works in this context. This film is about feel, emotion and spirit. It is refreshing to see the cinema approaching history with the innovative eye one sees more often in the theatre. The actors all deliver good performances within the constraints of the film's style. I know that it may all sound rather weird but it works. If you want to compare this approach with a straight, earnest alternative then Hollywood made a version in the early 1960s. For me it doesn't compare with this vibrant interpretation.
Captivating and breathtaking!
posted on 26 Aug 2009I went to see it in the cinema due to all the hype around this film. And I can say I did not make a mistake in deciding to watch this film.Right from the first minute, the film is already very intense. The strong emotion of non-submission and the determination to fight until the last breath is vividly portrayed in every minute. Gerard Butler's heroic shouts are already enough to get my adrenaline pumping.Few films can capture my complete attention right from the start and maintain it to the end. The stylish action certainly captures my attention. The special effects in the film are stunning. In very few other films can you see such brutal and yet stylish manoeuvres. The graphic scenes of soldiers being beheaded, and limbs flying around like confetti strips adds to the enormous tension.Some say that the plot is thin. I do not agree on this. The plot is simple, as it is about the 300 soldiers' fight to defend their country until the end. However it is not a thin plot. It contains so much emotion, and highlights the humankind's determination to survive and persevere.I seldom give a 10, and I think this film deserves it.
Coolest movie in a long time!
posted on 26 Aug 2009i just saw this movie yesterday, and i was blown away by it's storytelling and graphic effects. i couldn't sit still in the theater. it's been a long time since I've seen a movie with so much action and entertainment. and the lighting in the movie was so cool. Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas with astounding results. i got such a good feeling after i saw this movie, a knew that a milestone in movie history had been made. Director Zack Snyder is a man with a goal that's for sure. i cant wait for his next movie "the Watchmen". If you want to be entertained, go see this movie. there is just no easy way to describe it, I'm just... in AW!
Self-indulgent, shallow drivel. And I STILL didn't like it!
posted on 24 Aug 2009I'm writing this review from the perspective of someone who *likes* over-the-top, cheesy action movies that have more visual flare than dramatic integrity. This movie is terrible. The over-stylized, muddy visuals give the film a sort of hazy, dreamlike quality, which is the only thing appropriate about "300" because watching this movie feels a bit like peeking in on the dreams of a sexually repressed, seventeen-year-old sociopath with enough bottled homo-eroticism cursing through his desires to make even a homo like me want to wretch.Every single aspect of this movie is over-emphasized and under-whelming. There's far too much talking, the dialogue is absurd, and nearly every line is shouted, even when it's totally inappropriate. "WOULDST THOU LIKE SOME SUPPER, SIR?" "NO, GOOD SIRE, I WOULDST BUT NOT SUP 'TILL I'VE ASSURED THE PROTECTITUTE OF ALL THE COMELY LASSES IN GREASE." The Spartans are made out to be such hardened warring-machines that it eliminates any possible feeling of suspense. It's like playing a video game after punching in a cheat code for invincibility—there's no sense of dread, so it sucks out all the fun. The battle sequences in "300" are high on pomp, low on grandeur, using C-G effects to add blood splatter and a few beheadings when that effort would have been much better spent increasing the number of soldiers on screen at a time. The violence is less convincing than even much older, physical-effects-driven movies, and the frequent, blurted-out bits of exaggerated chivalry are far more cringe-inducing than any of the gore.From me, "300" gets a D for plot, an F for dialogue, and an "Incomplete" for visuals. The actual event in history that this film was based on, the battle of Thermopylae, is ripe with opportunity for suspense—three hundred Spartans taking on an army of tens of thousands of Persians should be a scary, bloody thrill-ride—but this movie is so up it's own butt about how grand it is that it misses the point entirely. It's not thrilling, only halfway sexy, and more often than not just a bore.
Visually dazzling but very shallow
posted on 24 Aug 2009You get the impression that, were they able to take time from their busy schedule of brutal training and massive slaughter, the Spartans would enjoy Frank Miller's vision of their most legendary moment, the last stand of 300 Spartan warriors against the vast Persian army at Thermopylae. Cinema going audiences were introduced to Miller's world view in the phenomenally successful if insubstantial Sin City and little has changed here despite the dramatic change of scenery from dark shadowy Basin City to the bright cornfields of ancient Sparta. In fact, the classical world setting allows for an even more extreme version of Miller's preoccupations, tough, physical, brutal men, beautiful women and loathsome, deformed, depraved and ugly villains. This certainly tallies with the philosophy of a proto-fascist people who prized strength and physical prowess above all else exposed and abandoned any child to display the slightest deformity and trained their children in the ways of violent combat from a young age. Director Zack Snyder, already hard at work appeasing the fanboys for his next adaptation of a beloved comic book property, Alan Moore's Watchmen, stays very close to the source material, not just Miller's graphic novel but also the histories of Herodotus, the original chronicler of the Battle of Thermopylae and Miller's major source. Of course, Herodotus makes little mention of the Spartans fighting in leather codpieces rather than armour (a curious decision on the part of the filmmakers which just looks ridiculous in places), or the Persians bringing giants, war rhinos and goat headed minstrels, but these are mere trappings, the storyline of the course of the battle, the tactics, each wave of assault and the Spartans betrayal, all draw directly on historical sources. Indeed, even the dialogue quotes the mythic speech given in early histories to the Spartans such as the famous comeback to the Persian threat to blot out the sun with their arrows, "then we will fight in the shade" and the Spartans final epitaph". In their desire to tell their story of Spartan heroics, however, Miller and Snyder do sideline the role played by other Greek states at Thermopylae and the Persian Wars as a whole, reducing them to a group of unskilled and cowardly Arcadians. The lack of an accurate portrayal of various Greek states is pretty irrelevant in itself but it does highlight a wider issue, namely whether we really need Miller's authentically Spartan version of this story. The Spartan philosophy is perhaps a little simple and superficial to make an interesting and complex film. Sparta is a soldier state and it is difficult to relate to their code of honour in which they must return from battle with their shield or on it, such a desire for war and honour scuppered the earlier Troy as modern audiences struggled to grasp these ancient motivations. While the Persian enemies are faceless villains, literally in the case of the masked ninja style Immortals, the Spartan soldiers fare little better. The 300, a group of hardass Scots for the most part, are two dimensional clichés (the ageing captain who has seen many years of service with his king and friend, and the captain's eager, callow young son being obvious examples) devoid of any emotional arc, in fact it is often difficult to discern much emotion at all in them. Gerard Butler as Leonidas, the Spartans' pointy bearded King, at least gets a little more opportunity for moments of complexity, such as in his relationship with his wife Lena Headey, the film's most deep character and one developed greatly from Miller's original, but spends much of the film shouting in his curious accent, his natural Scottish slipping through quite often. The script is appallingly clunky in places, curiously mixing the grandstanding posturing of classical heroes with the laddish banter of modern war films. As is often the case with comic book dialogue, the actors sometimes struggle to say it with any realism and conviction, Dominic West as the Spartan senator in league with the Persians being particularly poor. Fortunately, Snyder's directing is considerably better than his writing and 300's visual style creates a unique and beautiful epic (despite a slight excess of sub-Gladiator scenes of golden cornfields). Like it's predecessor Sin City, 300 uses real actors in front of computer generated backdrops to recreate the style of the graphic novel and any shot of the film could be a brilliantly realised rendition of a frame of graphic novel or even a painting. For once, the dumb audience in an action movie cliché of wanting to cut through the boring talky bits to get straight to the blood and violence is true here as when people are not talking this film really takes off. Moments like the wreck of the Persian fleet in a storm or the Spartans in their crimson cloaks rolling the Immortals off their shields and hacking them down or athletically throwing their spears are stunning looking. Some of the violence including decapitations and the removal of legs is very impressive. Meanwhile, the first assault as the Persians crash against the shields of the Spartan phalanx is as exciting and visceral a realisation of the loud, violent confusion of classical warfare as in any epic. However, these moments are too few and far between and the superficiality of the film is too apparent when the excitement of battle is not going on around the uninteresting characters. It would be possible to greatly enjoy the film in a beer fuelled testosterone heavy group of other men and certainly fans of Sin City and Miller's work in general will love it, but 300 is a silly and shallow film whose exciting visuals don't make up for its many faults. Yes, Spartans may love this film but many 21st century viewers may be left a little cold and possibly even bored.
Another mutilation
posted on 24 Aug 2009Why don't filmmakers read a bit of history rather than ask themselves what would appeal to a 13 year old. No Spartan mother would need to be held back as her son went to the agoge. Spartan kings were exempt from the agoge. The agoge was not a 'dump them in the wilderness' thing, it was a controlled and disciplined training regimen. Add to this that the ephors were depicted as dirty old men on a mountaintop. They weren't. They were elected magistrates with much power and respect. So the historical errors piled up quickly. The Gothic atmosphere didn't belong at all. The battle scenes were quite good mostly, except that Spartans didn't fight with the main aim being to display their abs and pecs. They wore breastplates and other protection. The Persian 'mad giant' was a stupid addition, as were the elephants and rhino. Xerxes was utterly ridiculous. Neither would he have put himself within sword range of leonidas, who would have killed him without hesitation and thus ended the whole invasion. Overall, this movie was ninety percent junk and belongs in the lower B grade horror genre.
Visual Spectacle, With Great Acting
posted on 22 Aug 2009When you first sit down, the lights dim, the intro begins, you immediately know you're watching a great film. Nearly every scene was shot in front of either a green or blue screen. The backgrounds are stunning and dark, which is appropriate.It begins with an introduction to King Leonidas. Some facts are told,like how every baby who was deformed was thrown of a cliff, and the male children were sent to a barracks at age 7. Spartans were the best soldiers of their time. The men spent all their lives training. So that 300 warriors could take on nearly a million Persians.Told never to cry or show emotion, they fight. Long and hard. Evert single second of the movie has been given great care, and it is why it will win Best Special Effects at next years Oscars, if it doesn't, then what will?There are no big-name flashy actors in here, I haven't heard of Gerald Butler before, but he gave off an amazing performance. There is no cheesy acting anywhere. Some of the best acting in all of movies. This IS based on a true story though exaggerated because there are no 12ft tall monsters with spiked swords for hands.The idea of the movie is to honor the greatest soldiers who ever lived, their triumph. This is dedicated top those brave 300 Spartans all soldiers all the time. The greatest story of triumph in history. They overcame all odds and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Persians, and stacked their bodies in a mountain and pushed the bodies onto an oncoming force. The battle scenes were done with great care. From Slow-motion to sped up, you feel like you're on the battle field. This actually happened. It was called the Battle of Thermopalaye. This is the story of true heroes. There are no cheesy one liners that appear in nearly ever movie, only wise cracks like- "Our arrows will block out the sun!" "Then we will fight in the shade." Spartans were trained never to retreat or be scared, they are true soldiers.I would not be surprised if this won picture of the year, trust me, many long hard hours were put into acting and special effects. Watch this movie. You will not be disappointed.
Good visuals, simple story---rather boring, actually.
posted on 22 Aug 2009I won't criticize the movie for being historically inaccurate. There probably is no "accurate" account of these events anyway, the graphic novel it is based on took license with previous material without pretensions to historical accuracy, and so does the movie. I have no problem with that. Incidentally, I think that the ways in which the movie (following the novel) most obviously deviates from what is likely historical fact (such as the depiction of the Persians and Xerxes, for instance) are very original, and they make this a better movie.On the flip side, I also do not give the movie any particular credit for being an accurate representation of its source material. For one thing, I do not know the novel, but even if I did, I think the movie should stand on its own. If it can only be properly appreciated in reference to the graphic novel, it is a failure in my eyes.That said, I find the movie lukewarm, and certainly not deserving of the hype and the incredible IMDb rating it has received as of this writing (rank 186 in the Top 250). The visuals are excellent, there is a lot of gore and action, and it's executed brilliantly, with some stunning photography.However, the plot had me looking at my watch. There hardly isn't any. Basically your brain goes into screen saver mode while your eyes indulge in the graphic atrocities that audiences these days seem to enjoy feasting on. There really isn't much happening in this movie, other than a bunch of skilled brutes (skilled in being brutes, mind you) fighting against a much larger bunch of less skilled (and generally less attractive and less well-spoken---all the catchy one-liners are for the Spartans) brutes. If you know about the Battle of Thermopylae (how come we only ever get to hear the English translation of that name in the movie??), you even know how it all turns out, so it's not even a question of who is winning.Then what is it, apart from dismembered pieces of Greeks and Persians flying through the field of vision, that is supposed to keep your interest? Maybe it's the heroism. Chest-thumping machos in skimpy attire fighting for all kinds of things, including the continuation of Western civilization. If you like that sort of thing, I guess that would do it for you---there is certainly enough of it going around in this movie. I just could not care for the cartoonish (and that's no reference to the nature of the source, but to the quality of the characterization) characters and the boring and stereotypical views, speeches, and actions.Of course, the movie is not entirely without merit---the action is well done, the acting is not great but adequate for the purpose of providing the basic simplistic motivations for the massacre, photography/special effects are excellent. I'd say it's okay for what it is, i.e. a sword-and-sandal battle epic, but it's way over-hyped for what a lot a people make it out to be. It's certainly not #186 of all time.
Positively sinful.
posted on 22 Aug 2009Absolutely remarkable movie! I can call it nothing else but simply sinful for the eye. This was due to the excellent graphics and skilled design in filming this movie. And also due to the amazing acting done and the beautiful characters developed in this story. I couldn't peel my eyes away if you asked me to. I am personally a sucker for epic movies. The ones that make your heart race, your eyes tear up, your fingers clench around the arm rests. The movies that make your hands fly upon your eyes because you can't bring yourself to watch it out of sheer fear, but you still leave a gap in between your fingers cause you just gotta watch it. And 300 did exactly this for me.The Spartan culture was captivating and not of the norm. The actors were full of talent and raw emotion. And when he yelled, I could feel it. Every fight scene is breathtaking for the action lover. The Spartan's skill in battle is so fluid and captivating. AMAZING! I don't want to spoil the plot line, so I won't say much more. But no matter if you love action movies or chick flicks, this is one of those movies that you just can't leave behind. And the visuals will stick with you long after this amazing 2 hours. Personally, approximately 30 seconds after the movie ended, I turned to my friend and said, "wanna see it again?" And I haven't had that reaction since Under the Tuscan Sun. It was brilliant!
Dreadful movie
posted on 22 Aug 2009I must have watched thousands of movies, and this is one of only two I've not been able to finish. After an hour of the most ludicrously overdone CGI cartoon characters we gave up. I might as well have played a computer game. The lack of character development was only accentuated by this paucity of 'real' filmic development. Characters pop up out of nowhere, or are mysteriously transported with no effort across miles of landscape without so much as breaking sweat, or, indeed, eating anything (clearly the Director had never heard of Napoleon's adage about an army marching on its stomach). The whole texture of the is one of a computer game, rather than the genre of film in which we are invited to enter a world which is 'real' to humanity. The film is gibberish.
A Welcome Break from the Post-Modern
posted on 20 Aug 2009These days everybody is used to seeing very sketchy films where nobody really knows who the good guys are or who the bad guys are. The audience of these films are left to wonder and think about how many flaws are we willing to accept to see a character as "good" or "bad". "300" breaks from this style and goes back to the olden days of film where everything was pretty much black and white. Now, some people might see this as hindering to the film's effect but it doesn't. In this day and age we need more heroes to look up to that have extremist but absolute and uncompromising without blinking. Of course its not reality. Anyone who knew what kind of graphic novel this was based on should have been aware of that going into the theater. The world doesn't need reality in all of its films. We need a modern myth, and "300" provides this, surely not on the scale of the original "Star Wars" but still epic in its own right. I'm not saying that commentary films aren't as good, but we've been overloaded with that variety for the past decade. Finding a balance so one could go into a theater, watch a film and think about what's wrong with society, then go into another and come out thinking what we can look up to and hope for as a people is what's most important. And in an era where most films depict anti-heroes and even glorify villains, showing some good old black and white good vs evil story is refreshing.
A pleasure for the eye, but not for the heart
posted on 18 Aug 2009As I entered the theater, I was expecting a film that would definitely have a unique and innovating idea to the usual films that are related to this genre. But by innovating, I meant in an aspect of a filmmakers holistic perspective: from the way the screenplay is written, to the way the idea is shown in a new graphic model. 300 did a marvelous job with the second, but it failed with the first (which is undeniably the most important step on any film-making). As you see the story unfold, you are taken into a world that somewhat wants to express an idea of honor, courage and glory, but you don't sense that within the characters. Yes, a certain passion is seen and greatly heard, but the connection and attachment of the actors with the audience is just not at the level of the artistic work that was put behind this film. In other words, what you see is more of a collage of beautiful scenarios and effects, but you just can't get a hold of the transcendental emotion of a human struggle and journey for a purpose. By the time you reach the end of the film, it seems to get stronger, but then, it is just too late to gain a true meaning of the plot.It's not an evolution of film-making, but it is definitely, a first step to something greater. Do see it, but don't expect to come out of the theater with a story that would keep you talking, cause it won't.
Awesome Flick
posted on 18 Aug 2009Haven't had your dose of action lately... this movie will definitely hand you a fat load of man action. Simple story, great visuals, and a wicked soundtrack combined with interesting and unique fight scenes is what will truly bring this movie to the top. Frank Millers 300 will be a movie remembered in the next decade to come. I don't think there is any movie in its genre that can even touch it, or will come close to matching the amazing style Zack Snyder recreated from the graphic novel. Haven't seen a good movie in a while, 300 will quench your thirst and make every other action movie feel like a Saturday morning cartoon. It will be a long time before a movie as good as this one hits theaters again.
a big lie
posted on 18 Aug 2009It is a proved scholarly fact that the Persian Empire in 480 B.C was the most magnificent and civilized empire. Established by the Cyrus the great, the writer of the first human right declaration, Persians ruled over significant portions of Greater Iran, the east modern Afghanistan and beyond into central Asia; in the north and west all of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), the upper Balkans peninsula (Thrace), and most of the Black Sea coastal regions; in the west and southwest the territories of modern Iraq, northern Saudi-Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, all significant population centers of ancient Egypt and as far west as portions of Libya. Having twenty nations under control, encompassing approximately 7.5 million square kilometers, unquestionably the Achaemenid Empire was territorially the largest empire of classical antiquity.Based on the Zoroastrian doctrine, it was the strong emphasis on honesty and integrity that gave the ancient Persians credibility to rule the world, even in the eyes of the people belonging to the conquered nations (Herodotus, mid 5th century B.C). Truth for the sake of truth, was the universal motto and the very core of the Persian culture that was followed not only by the great kings, but even the ordinary Persians made it a point to adhere to this code of conduct.I did not expect Warner Bros. Picture company, as one of the world's largest producers of film and television entertainment to ignore the proved obvious historical facts, and damage its own reputation by showing the Persian army at the battle of Thermopylae as some monstrous savages, and thus create an atmosphere of public mistrust in its content, and hurt the national pride of the millions of Persians while doing so. WHEN IN ANCIENT Iran MEN AND WOMEN ARE EGUAL,IN Greek WOMEN HAVE SECOND DEGREE,UNFORTUNATELY DIRECTOR'S 300 DIDN'T HAS ANY INFORMATION ABOUT PERSIA AND IRANIAN CULTURE AND PEOPLE.HE ONLY WANTED TO MAKE A FILM FOR DESTROYED MIND ABOUT Iran,THIS IS KIND OF POLITICS THAT WILL BE DESTROY WORLD'S MIND ABOUT IRAN'S EMPIRE BUT YOU MUST KNOW PERSIAN ARE VERY KIND,CLEAN AND CLEVER NOT WILD PEOPLE.THATS A BIG LIE OF STORY.THATS A BIG LIE OF PERSIAN HISTORY.WHEN PERSIA HAD CIVILIZATION America AND EUROPE WERE WILD.PLEASE READ THE ORIGINAL NAD REALLY HISTORY TOO UNDERSTAND PERSIAN PEOPLE WERE CIVILIZED WHEN Americans PEOPLE DON'T HAVE ANY CULTURE.THEY WERE ONLY SOME IMMIGRATORS AND WILD! I HATE THIS FILM.
Quite Possibly the BEST Movie I've EVER Seen!
posted on 18 Aug 2009SPARTANS...PREPARE FOR GLORY!!! 300 is a non-stop eye-popping visual masterpiece. The entire movie is almost one big epic battle. It is a high testosterone adventure filled with every element of a "man movie". Blood, gore, sword-play, explosions, naked women, epic special effects, and the fact that killing Persians is considered a sport.Yep, this movie will leave you pumped up and ready to fight...ANYBODY. BRING IT ON!!! If there's nobody willing to fight you, you'll probably just end up with the strange desire to go work out! Haven't seen this movie yet?TONIGHT, WE DINE IN HELL!!!
Not for everyone indeed!
posted on 18 Aug 2009A friend of mine recommended this film and I've read, and indeed agree, with the people who have loved the film and commented on it before - I'm just not one of those that loved it.This film is all about action and sadly, those people that love this sort of action most are going to be bored out of their mind for about the first minutes of the film.With that minimal nod to story and plot over with we can get on with the bloodfest! And there is plenty of it. Even I will agree that these scenes are done in loving detail. Slow motion fights, stylistic movements rendered slowly so the eye can catch subtle details. It is very much like art.What I really didn't like about the film though is the message. Pretty much, if your strong and stubborn your a hero. If your smart and prefer to think your way around a problem, or even *shock, gasp* compromise, you are a coward/loser. Certainly the hero of this film was given plenty of opportunities to surrender and save his and his men's lives. But he didn't (often killing the messenger as well) and he is venerated for it.
A Failure On All Levels
posted on 30 Aug 2009"300"'s unforgivable central flaw is its stubborn protagonization of its battle scenes to the detriment of all the other elements of the film. Not even elements as essential as plot or acting are deemed important enough in a film too self-aware of its look, and too determined to impress visually.A two-hour feature film cannot be sustained solely on the occasional handsome fighting sequence. Moreover, by the time the Spartans start battling with the Persian army, the spectator knows too little of any of the characters to really invest any emotional interest in the outcome of the war. None of the warriors' backgrounds are developed, or even mentioned. Leonidas doesn't appear to have a second dimension to his personality. And the combat skills of the "300" are so incredible and cartoonish that it is impossible to feel for them or even begin to empathize with their experience of the war. This, together with the video-game-like, fetishistic style of violence, produces an effect of detachment and uninvolvement in the spectator with respect to the battle scenes.The visual production is another element that has been pushed heavily in the film, yet it is not a unique look. We have already seen scorched skies, golden cornfields, navy-blue spectral nightscapes and crimson bloodshed in "Troy" and "Gladiator". The use of music is too obvious and manipulative, marking far too clearly what emotion is expected of the viewer at each point in the film.Not even CGI has been put to good use, since you can spot precisely when it has abundant presence, instead of being used sparingly and effectively in an integrated fashion. CGI worked much more convincingly and excitingly visually in "Sin City" because that film, from the outset, made clear to the viewer that its story was operating in a completely different, graphic-novel based world, whereas "300" is assumed to take place in a more or less realistic world.