[Review] 300

I saw 300 last weekend with my sister.  Though The Rob already offers a much deeper review, I thought I'd offer my take. 

This movie is pure, unadulterated candy.  In this case, there's nothing wrong with that.  

300 is a comic book movie, and as such shouldn't necessarily be counted on for depth - especially where Frank Miller is concerned.  Though there are deep coomic book characters aplenty out there (Spider-Man, Batman, Captain America and The Hulk come quickly to mind), most comics are made for escapism rather than for depth. 

The most surprising thing about 300 is that its main plot doesn't deviate all that much from what we know historically about the Battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece (yeah, I just cited Wikipedia --  this is a weblog, not a dissertation).  Persian King Xerxes threatens to invade Greece, offers them a peaceful transition of power, telling the Greeks to offer him "earth and water"; Sparta throws the Persian envoys into pits; Spartan King Leonidas takes 300 of his best soliders and a few allies to defend a narrow pass against the invading army; his forces slaughter thousands of Persians before they are betrayed; their sacrifice inspires the rest of Greece to band together and eventually repel the invasion.  It's pretty much a matter of record.

But like all dramatizations (especially in comic books), 300 takes some historical liberties.   Make that several liberties.  The aggressors are portrayed as dark-skinned and/or far eastern; the protagonists are much whiter.  It wouldn't be Obsidian Potency if I didn't point this out and express a bit of discomfort that the sides were literally portrayed in stark, black-white opposition.  Aren't Arabs generally about as white as Greeks?  Not in this film.  Apparently, they also aren't as noble.  Or as manly.   Oh well - it's not the first time that near-universal negative stereotypes have been used in an action movie to juxtapose two sides...I just wish they hadn't been so racial about it. 

Just for the movie, a wholly-fictional subplot involving Leonidas' queen is added.  Unlike a lot of people, I really liked it.  Even though it slowed the movie down, it provided some of my favorite lines - I won't ruin them for you, but they're good. 

Even better are the greenscreen-rendered landscapes, battle scenes and action sequences.  Unlike many others, I didn't feel that anything was missing; I didn't mind the lack of natural, real scenery.  I enjoyed the world created by the media artists.  I also enjoyed the acting performances of the mostly no-name cast, particularly by Gerard Butler (whose asking price and profile will be raised considerably after his turn as Leonidas).  

I didn't like the monsters that popped up here and there; they seemed superfluous and unnecessary to the storytelling, sort of for a 'cheap pop' if you know what I mean.  And I don't think they got the 'pop' that Frank Miller or Zack Snyder intended; in my theater, people laughed out loud at more than one of the creatures upon its first appearance. 

When I first stepped out of the theater, I loved this movie - probably because my expectations had beeen lowered by its mixed reviews.  But as time has passed, 300 has faded quite a bit in my mind.  Still, I enjoyed it for what it was, and most people will too.  It gets an Obsidian Potency rating of 3¹/₂ movie reels.

 

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