300 is Lord of Rings + Sin City + 300 gallons of blood.
300 graphically depicts the Battle of Thermopylae, the ancient battle between 300 Spartans and 10,000 Persians. King Leonidas leads the 300 men, going against the wishes of the Spartan council. The majority of the movie consists of the different waves of attacks by the Persians, (almost) all of which are met with… lots of very pointy sticks. Meanwhile, back in Sparta, Leonidas’s wife (the Queen) is trying to convince the Spartan council to go and send the rest of the Spartan army to go and help King Leonidas.
Watching the trailer for 300 actually gives you a pretty good idea of what the movie will be like: A bunch of greek dudes fighting in slow motion in very contrasted and super-stylized shots. Is that what the majority of the movie is? Yes. Is it at times gruesome? Definitely. Does it make you a little quesy to watch? Sometimes. Is it the most exciting cinematic experience that I’ve ever seen? Yes. (Although the Imax screen may have helped)
I’m really approaching this review from two different angles. As a movie critic, I think it was OK. The violence dominated over the rest of the movie, and the special effects were cool. But as a 14-year-old boy? Oh my God!!! It was SOOO cool! The stylized fighting and special effects were AMAZING!!! BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR!
But seriously, the special effects were amazing, and the style of the fighting was awesome, as was the overall look, feel, and tone of the movie. But beyond all of the amazing technical achievments, the movie came at as being almost mediocre. I mean, the plot was an interesting setup, and while there were a couple of interesting subplots, the main story of the movie was just Leonidas and his men killing a bunch of people.
The acting overall was very good, although a bit over the top (especially with Leonidas.) But the acting really wasn’t the main focus of the movie. Although Leonidas himself was actually really good, the movie depended more on slow motion head slicings and lots of people falling off of a cliff at the same time, silhouetted against the sun. (Again, in slow motion.)
So overall, if you’re going for a fun (but at times gruesome) experience, or for a spectacular technical achievent, then go and see 300. But if you’re going to see a thoughtful historical representation of a “pivotal battle in Spartan history” then you should probably just watch the History Channel instead. (But no offense to them, they actually make history watchable sometimes)
As a 14-year-old, I give it a 4.5/5, but as a (prestigous) film critic I give it a 2.5/5, so it’s average is therefore a:
[rating:3.5]
Official Site | IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes| Movieweb
Further Reading: Battle of Thermopylae Wiki | 300 Comic Wiki
You’re not the only person who said the movie is best on the big screen.
Some movies just don’t translate well to a small TV. I’m saving up for a 50″ HD plasma display, so can enjoy these types of movies without having to deal with the annoyances of a public movie theater crowd. With 300, you’re going to get a mixed bag of obnoxious, angry, stupid young men who will talk there way through the movie, as well as people who appreciate it as a cinematic, historical experience like you.