Review of 300 (2007) by Oscar C — 15 Mar 2014

300 I found to be an entertaining timewaster, as well as fun eye-candy. Zach Snyder may not be the best in terms of story and plot but I can always count on him when it comes to great action and great visuals. He also does some great music here and there. While he is not good at coming up with his own unique stories, he is great when it comes to adapting other people's work. I am not familiar with the comic by Frank Millar, but from what I hear the movies follows it fairly accurately. For what 300 was I was entertained.

The story is fairly simple. It takes place at the time of ancient Greece. The Persians have declared war on Greece. A messenger is sent to Sparta to join them but they refuse. Now a group of 300 Spartans led by their king, Leonidas (Gerard Butler), must fend off the Persian army to prevent them from reaching Sparta.

The style and the action is what drives this film. If you are looking for a deep film with deep character then look elsewhere. If you are looking for a historically accurate film then look elsewhere. Even though this was a historical event this film is based on a comic first-of-all. This film relies on its mindless action, special effects, and style to carry it. I found the style enjoyable because I had not seen many films with this style before this. The action scenes were really good as well. I even like the slow motion. Many people dislike slow motion but I did not mind it too much. The film also gets very bloody. If you do not like bloody films then do not see this.

The problem is that most of the cast is easily forgettable. The only somewhat likable character that you remember is Leonidas. He is definitely the character everyone is drawn to and Gerard Butler does a good job performance-wise. However, I did not care for any of the other characters which is a problem. Another thing that got on my nerves was the fake CGI blood. None of the gore in this is practical and it takes me out of the film. Also, the villains are very one-dimensional.

Overall, 300 is style over substance but I found myself entertained. If you are looking more an entertaining action film with good visuals then you should enjoy this. If you are looking for more than you could probably skip this. Also, If you hate slow motion or CGI gore you should not see this either.