Review of 300 (2007) by Chris W — 06 Mar 2014

Gerard Butler gives a commanding performance (the best of his career so far) as Spartan King Leonidas in this intense, surreal, epic, and beautifully shot, edited, and directed historical fantasy. Snyder has created a great and unique cinematic experience that, while not being completely historically accurate, is a wonderfully entertaining and stylish take on the Battle of Thermopylae in which a small group of Spartan warriors do battle against a vastly overwhelming number of Persians who wish to conquer them.

Though this film is largely style over substance, it does have some deeper themes and what not going through it, chiefly that of fascism. You root for the Spartans, and you're rooting for fascism. Kinda like Starship Troopers though not quite as brilliant. The slow-mo gets a tad overused, and yeah, the Persians are undeniably portrayed as perhaps too fey and sibilant, but hell, this is fun, not art. I actually prefer this to the graphic novel it's based on because this has much more story and depth.

All in all, a bloody good show.