Back in the first days of human history when the people in power were all described by the lands they lived in; The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, etc… People often believed the only way to make your mark on history was to do something great and powerful. Well many hundreds of years later we are still intrigued by the likes of the Roman Empire, the battle of Troy and of course what this film is about, the three hundred Spartans whom fought of huge armies who threatened their lands.
300 is based on the Frank Miller graphic novel that tells the bloody story of the battle of Thermopylae. During this battle King Leonidas and three hundred of the toughest Spartans took on a massive Persian army who attempt to invade their lands. The Spartans however will not go lightly and manage to fight off most of the Persian armies that attempt to invade their lands. as history would have the Spartans gained the respect of all the armies of the world at the time and went down in history as one of the toughest armies ever. This is there story told in battling detail.
My first overall reaction to the plot of 300 was that I really liked the overall idea behind the epic battles and how detailed each of the main characters were. However the overall dialogue and lack of story is where the film had it low points. If you look at the entirety of the plot of this film, it’s really just an all out fight film.
The acting in this film is alright. Gerard Butler performance as King Leonidas is the one that stands out throughout the whole film but the movie does not warrant that much dialogue to sustain an importance in the story. it’s obvious that the three hundred Spartans that were featured in this film acted as a tight group, although only about ten or so were featured in roles that required dialogue. I can’t say that it was the best acting in the world, but the script does not require much from it’s actors from an acting point of view but rather from a physical one.
What makes 300 such a great epic picture is it’s visuals. The CGI used in the film was out of this world, and the costume design is bound to get an Oscar nod. Most of this film was shot on a sound stage with the actors performing in front of a green screen. What really makes this film special is the visuals that were incorporated into the film. The detail in the background, and the battle scenes really made this film what it is. I think more credit should be given to the animators and artists that help bring the film to life for it’s big box office numbers.
Overall, I really like 300 mainly for it’s visuals, which is why I’m giving the movie a three star rating. However when it comes to the script, I wished that there was more background story to our heroes. I wouldn’t have minded the film so much if it was about a half hour longer and gave us a bit more history on the characters. I understand that running time is an important thing for most films, and 300 does run a little under two hours, I really wouldn’t of minded it running close to three. I’m a nut for good characters and story, and I felt a bit cheated by the story. However in light of the overall production the visuals are what saved it.
300 is a film that a lot of fans of action and epic war films will go crazy over. I’m sure the DVD sales will be though the roof, with plenty of teenage and men under thirty will spend their well earned money to add to their collection. It’s got plenty of great epic bloody and gore filled battle scenes. Ones that target a male audience.
There are two versions of the DVD that will be released. A single disc DVD which consists of the film in either wide or full screen format, and a action packed two disc special edition which includes additional scenes, some Webisodes, three documentaries, two about the 300 Spartans and one about Frank Millers vision. it also includes a commentary track with director Zack Snyder.
The two disc version is well worth the buy, not only for the visually stunning movie, but for the great features you get with the disc. If your not big into behind the scenes stuff, then buy the single disc, but I recommend the two disc special edition for a good behind the scenes look at the film and because of the history lesson you will get in the documentaries about the 300 Spartans.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
