300 - Movie Review

The massive army of the Persian Empire is sweeping across the globe, crushing every force that dares stand in its path. When a Persian envoy arrives in Sparta offering King Leonidas power over all of Greece if he will only bow to the will of the all powerful Xerxes, the strong-willed leader assembles a small army comprised of his empire's best fighters and marches off to battle. Though they have virtually no hope of defeating Xerxes' intimidating battalion, Leonidas' men soldier on, intent on letting it be known they will bow to no man but their king. Meanwhile, back in Sparta, the loyal Queen Gorgo attempts to convince both the skeptical council and the devious Theron to send more troops despite the fact that many view Leonidas' unsanctioned war march as a serious transgression. As Xerxes' fearsome "immortals" draw near, a few noble Greeks vow to assist the Spartans on the battlefield. When King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors fell to the overwhelming Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, the 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.

Wow, talk about an action packed film. There are some serious battle scenes that are HUGE. Once the Persians and Spartans start to fight, it's a fight to the death and there are plenty of arms, legs and heads being lopped off left and right. The cinematography of this film is original and very cool. It definitely has the look of the comic book on which it was based. The scene with the severed head spinning in the air was wicked and the scenes with the sky full of arrows descending on the Spartans were incredible. I'm not always a big fan of these "historical" films, but it was kept short enough and interesting enough to keep my attention throughout. I think it's now pretty obvious that Frank Miller's comic books are natural movie scripts (see Sin City). Another job well done and a definite must see.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West

The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.