The story of the 300 Spartans has no doubt been told countless times thoughout history, and as the box office records reflect, bears telling once more.
I had been eagerly anticipating this film since I first saw the trailer several months before its release. I still managed to keep my expectations rational, in that I did not expect a great script, or great acting; I expected to be hugely entertained. To this extent, I was very satisfied with the film.
To address some of the criticism that this movie has recieved, specifically about historical accuracy and racism. These are essentially moot, since this film is a bastardized version of the true events of 480 BC. Being based on a graphic novel, which in turn is based on over two thousand year old history, is bound to yield some room for artistic license.
These flaws have largely been addressed in most reviews of this film, but I will take it a step further. The story is told by Dilios, the sole Spartan survivor of the battle. To me, the freakishness of the Persians fits in well with how you would describe your enemy, which you regard as culturally inferior. The storyteller no doubt embellished the scenes that unfolded for dramatic effect. To this end, the strange characters are perfectly executed: the Spartans are all beautiful people, while the enemy (including Ephialtes the traitor), are beastly and filthy.
The action scenes are really the meat of the film, and are in my opinion really great. I truly didn't mind that there was a lot of slow motion effects, they only enhanced the exerience. Paired with the score of the film, which I believe was hard rock ala Nine Inch Nails, these scenes gets your blood pumping. Some people argue that it became repetitive, and even boring. I felt like they were always fighting ever more dangerous foes, which kept me interested throughout. The film was also visually stunning, keeping with the graphic novel theme by enhancing certain colors.
I wanted this movie to be my favourite movie of all time, but it simply isn't. I feel that e.g. The Gladiator was far better in many aspects. I felt that the script was spotty, and sometimes even corny. David Wenham, who I usually enjoy as an actor gave me some chuckles. Perhaps it is just the way he talks normally, but I felt like he was trying to sound like Winston Churchill, which for me was borderline comical. As I mentioned before however, I was expecting this film to be delightfully over-the-top, and it delivered.
Another note for me was the end credits, which I sat through both times I saw the film (once in regular theatre and once in IMAX, which I recommend). They were very cool looking, and was almost a show in itself, especially with the driving score in the background.
See this movie if you love action flicks, and ancient battles of epic proportions.