300 Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)March 13th, 2007
"300" - Glory Days
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007
When King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) speaks, his
troops listen. And, they'll follow this
charismatic leader to their glorious deaths if
need be. It's not just his commanding accent
when he yells "Sparrrr-tahhnns!" It's his
devotion to his land and his people. And, though
I am not a warrior, even I would have picked up a
spear and shield to strike furiously with valiant
heart to lay low any enemies before me.
"300" is "Sin City" and "Gladiator" mixed
together and coated with a luster that you can
only find on fresh-from-the-factory Ferrari's.
This is a film that re-envisions cinematography
and violence. The technology of filmmaking is
growing by leaps and bounds. Here, much of the
film is shot on a soundstage set against a giant
bluescreen, where effects and background are
added later. The process of filmmaking is much
the same as the new generation of Star Wars
films. The visual result here is a bronze-tinged
world that is gorgeously surreal, filled with
floating embers, colorless dead, and bloodied
warriors.
The film revisits one of the ancient world's most
famous of last stands at Thermopylae. In 480
B.C., our dutiful and fearless Spartan king took
a mere 300 warriors with him to hold off
encroaching Persian invaders, led by the imposing
God/King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). Think tens of
thousands of Orcs descending upon the stronghold
of Helm's Deep, protected by only a couple of
hundred Men and Elves. Here, in this
high-concept battle film, these Persians also
arrive filled with reckless hate. What can a
mere 300 warriors do? "Sparrrr-tahhnns!" Show
those weak Persians a thing or two.
While Leonidas is doing battle on the field, his
strong Queen (Lena Headey) does what she can by
lobbying the Spartan Council to send more troops.
She is stymied by the unhelpful and slimy Theron
(Domonic West), but her character is filled with
bravery and resolve. This is a time period when
leaders held true to their beliefs and fought to
defend them as hard as they could for as long as
it took.
"300" throws you pretty much into the fight. And
it gets more and more intense from there. We get
to see different battle formations as well as
watch the Spartan troop apply liberal amounts of
guile to outsmart their enemy. There is plenty
of blood spilt amid the severed limbs and
decapitated heads. The visual effects, however,
make this otherwise violent film less disturbing
(and more fun?) than something like "Apocalypto".
It's crazy/audacious filmmaking. When enemies
launch a volley of arrows that literally darken
the sky, there is a sense of awe. When the
Spartans valiantly achieve an initial victory
despite being outnumbered 10-to-1, there is a
sense of awe. When we see how Spartan men are
bred to be warriors from age 7 through a vicious
rite of passage, there is a sense of awe. Heck,
just looking at those warrior bodies with those
bulging deltoids and brick-hard abs, there is a
sense of awe. This film, like what the 300
Spartans accomplished, is an impressive
achievement.
Grade: B+
S: 2 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 3 out of 3
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