From the creator of Sin City, the movie 300 is also based on a graphic novel and filmed in the same animated style. This is a movie that was firing on all cylinders, delivering an adrenaline pumping stylistic and intense cinematic experience. It is the next step in cinema style, the gorgeous union of live action and computer generated surroundings joined together in one scene to give it a satisfying look in the movie.Director Zack Snyder, who did a very good 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 in slow motion that appears in the screen. However, that’s what 300 is about—blood, honor and going against-all-odds.
The 300 masterpiece tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, a skirmish so infamous and heroic that it still resonates with people nearly 2,500 years later. The Persian King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), is looking to expand his vast empire, with his sights on invading Greece. After a Persian envoy demanding submission is kicked into a seemingly bottomless well by Spartan King Leonidas (Gerald Butler), he gathered 300 of his best men, those who had fathered sons old enough to take over family responsibilities, and marched towards an area called The Hot Gates, a narrow opening between two massive mountain cliff sides, and the only way from the sea to Sparta. For three days and nights, these men, along with 700 Thespians, valiantly fought against an army much larger than itself estimating from 150,000 to 5 million soldiers, until the bloody end and stood their ground sacrificing everything to ensure freedom not only for Sparta, but Greece itself. Though they were defeated, they inflicted unspeakable casualties against the Persians, and bought the Greek city-states enough time to rally and those fearless actions of the noble fighters inspired all of Greece to stand up against their Persian enemy and wage the battle that would ultimately give birth to the modern concept of democracy.
It’s this mindful attitude towards Millers source material which elevates 300 to be primarily an action film with tone of fantasy rather than a period war drama, offering more similarities to Lord of the Rings in its glorification of battle and folklore than it does to Gladiator, Troy or Alexander. But forget Gladiator, forget Troy and Alexander. None of these movies can hold the display of burning flame and intensity of 300.
Above all, 300 remains a stunningly entertaining spectacle, its abstract allegory harnessing the power of the medium to outstanding effect. Its edges may not be perfect, but the heart beneath it remains strong: a fierce, engrossing myth about determined men who once drew a line in the sand and defended it with everything they had. So I would say to everyone that this film is one of the best action films to hit the big screen this year. It’s your turn now to experience its greatness by getting a copy of the movie 300 in HD-DVD format at DVD.TV, your favorite and reliable dvd auction site.
