Movie Review : 300

Well, as I barely found a seat for the first representation of this film in the biggest theatre in town (spring break!) I watched the first true blockbuster of the new season (Wild Hogs? = yeah, right) and if you are a Tarantino and Sin City fan, your money will be well spent.

A warning for the faint of heart : if you can't stand to watch bloody sequences or limbs flying around, you will not enjoy watching this movie, for it is filled with sequences worthy of the tradition of graphic novels, this one from Frank Miller who gave us the delicious Sin City. Indeed, we are taken in a world where men are trained from childhood to become soldiers, who are taught to defend their land and never surrender nor run away from battle. In the land of Sparta, men have their place and so do the women, who stand by their men and breed the most terrifying warriors in Greece. If a newborn doesn't seem fit to live the life of a Spartan, he or she is outcast (a horrible sequence at the beginning of the film shows it clearly).

The film shows us one of the most violent battles of ancient time : the battle of Thermopylae, where only 300 Spartans took on the Persian empire, led by Lord Xerxes who sought to invade Greece. The Spartan soldiers were led by King Leonidas, played brilliantly by a very buff Gerard Butler, who always has his people's freedom to lead him on the front lines to fight off their enemy. Another great performance is that of Lena Headey, who plays Queen Gorgo, who knows what's at stake for her people and isn't afraid to stand up to men who have the higher place in society. It is fun to watch her quarrel with a sneaky politician played by Dominic West to try to send her husband reinforcements for battle.

Once the battle starts, we are in for the ride, and it is wonderful to watch. We see the force of these Spartans is truly to be feared, and they must show no weakness and no mercy. Of course, when you are outnumbered by about a million, you can't afford to take prisoners. This film portrays stylish battle sequences, well diversified fabulously gory and realistic way better than the efforts of Troy and Alexander in recent years (of course, The Lord Of The Rings does not compare with the film, but 300 is surprisingly excellent).

For those of you who read the novel or is familiar with Greek history know the outcome of the story, but for those of you who'd rather wait to know by seeing the film, you will enjoy watching the Spartan people who survived the test of time by showing great bravery and skill by fighting against the Persian army, and there is a wonderful narrative from David Wenham (Lord Of The Rings) to guide us through the story and you will love every step of the way. Of course, this film will not be nominated for Best Picture, but I expect it to pick up a few technical nominations, notably for costumes, makeup and visual effects. The film presents a haunting score from Tyler Bates that I absolutely adored, but I think it's a long way from January to be mentioned in the top 5.

Directed by Zack Snyder, this film is a wonder to watch, and if you want to feel like you're in the battle of Thermopylae, then go see it!

300 : directed by Zack Snyder
Produced by Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann, Gianni Nunnari and Jeffrey Silver
Written by Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad and Michael Gordon based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley.
Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham and Dominic West.
Running Time : approx. 116 minutes.

Grade : ****/****