 |
| Directed By: |
| Zack Snyder |
| Starring: |
| Gerard Butler, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Lena Headey |
Sin City (2005) meets Troy (2004)
300 is an adaptation of executive producer Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same title inspired by the 1962 film, 300 Spartans; both are loose interpretations of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, where a relatively small number of Greeks stood against an overwhelming Persian invasion. Historical evidence varies but who cares. 300 is a bloody, intense, testosterone-fest in the spirit of Beowulf and The Odyssey. It's an intellectually undemanding movie intended to titillate the senses and arouse the Freudian id in its male dominated audience. It succeeds in spades. I only hope the producers of Troy (2004) will learn a valuable lesson from this film. Namely, to cut the chatter and romance, and pump up the action.
Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) attempts to sway King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) by asking him to consider his women. Leonidas counters with, "Clearly you don't know our women. I might as well have marched them up here, judging by what I've seen."
Dilios' (David Wenham) uninspiring "freedom" speech inventorying the ethnicity of the Spartan army and their odds as compared to the larger Persian force in front of them.
Considering the huge advertising campaign Warner Brothers laid down for 300 I can't imagine how anyone could walk into it expecting anything less than a bunch of half naked guys hacking each other to pieces while screaming patriotism. What you see in the trailer is pretty much what you get in the film; only there's about 60 minutes more of it. That's not to say that 300 isn't good because it is immensely entertaining—on a primitive level.
300's retelling of one of the most infamous last stands in ancient history enjoys a few artistic license opportunities in its superhero-esque libertarianism. Clearly 300 is a bard's tale version of the Battle of Thermopylae, where everything and everyone is larger than life, the impossible becomes plausible, and sculpted abs rule the land. Sure, there are some historian-approved nods, but I wouldn't exactly replace high school textbooks with Frank Miller's comic book just yet. I mean, I'm fairly certain Xerxes wasn't twelve feet tall or looked like Mr. Clean after a freak gold piercing accident during his sex change operation. Though, the constant threat of Xerxes losing his loincloth and presenting us with a tucked penis is pretty terrifying.
Shot entirely against a green screen, the visual dynamics of 300 are rich and engaging. The sum of the actual dialog throughout is equal to about a handful of comic book panels. What it lacks in speaking parts it makes up for in spectacular imagery and energy that I can only describe as a giant animated Renaissance mural. All primaries against grays and black are strikingly effective, especially during battle sequences where hero and villain are easily distinguished. To his credit, Dawn of the Dead's Zack Snyder is the first director in history to use the cheap speed-up/slow-down technique successfully in a feature film. It truly lends a superhuman element to the Spartans as they mow down foe after foe with devastating efficiency. Or maybe I'm still recovering from the quick-cut, shaky-cam edits in every single action movie since Black Hawk Down (2001) so that I have no idea what is going on. I might as well be watching photocopies shoot out of a side tray into a wall through beer goggles.
On the downside, 300 tends to be overly reliant on the ol' freedom plot device-to the point of nausea. What, no crowd of inept New Yorkers coming together for a common good yelling, "nobody messes wit Spahrtar, yous bunch o' pansies"? I prefer the standard honor and glory motive, or a petty squabble over religious differences. Hell, I'd settle for the whole "you ain't from around here, is ye" thing. But, at least there isn't a Spartan laying around a campfire listening to an Apple iPod in 300, because then it wouldn't be believable at all.
What's more, 300's chest-beating, motivational epilogue is flat and leaves a lot to be desired, selling the film short on the whole. It's unfortunate that Snyder didn't simply end the movie more like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). We already know, or should know, the outcome, we've seen the Spartans in action through a half a dozen skirmishes; why not go with the freeze frame finale? I'm tired of the post-911 rally, tired of the sensitivity training of war movies, tired of being rehabilitated after onscreen tragedy; give us back our downer endings.
Summarily, 300 is sure to put off the armchair historian and his Julia Roberts loving friend, while kowtowing to the adolescent bloodlust in the rest of us. If you're in the mood for bloody, testosterone-boosting, spears and scandals melees with a little bit of inappropriate nudity and a lot o' bit of ridiculously over exaggerated villains, 300 is for you. If you’re looking for something a little deeper, and more inspiring, I suggest Gladiator (2000).
Death by spear, sword, falling, etc; Beheading, impalements, limb severing, this one is gruesome.
There's a lot of beefcake on display here. Abs and pecks for miles. It's like a Chippendales convention, only with real men. But fear not, we're also treated to some of the longest gratuitous nudity scenes in recent memory. Including: a possessed, floating, naked redhead, a guy's version of a romantic sex scene, and a creepy harem interlude featuring some of the ugliest naked women alive molesting a hunchback and each other – like a rap video.
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