If you can handle brash sexual acts and sometimes unnecessary violence, then 300 is an epic battle you need to see. Zach Snyder’s ability to mesh historic tales with his expertise in comic tones down some of the gore, yet it does not take away from the story and combat at hand. He was able to captivate the audience with stunning computer-generated imagery that filled the entire screen—which was even more captivating at the IMAX theater—but the most impressive aspect was the storyline of the outnumbered Spartans.
The movie is a scene-for-scene reproduction of 300, a graphic novel by Frank Miller which tells the tale of Spartan king Leonidas leading a small band of his finest soldiers to defeat a Persian army of millions under the command of self-proclaimed deity Xerxes. Though the majority of the characters are fictional, even those based on real figures in Greek history seem to be pulled from comic book pages with unreal proportions or abnormalities. Xerxes, for example, stands several feet taller than the biggest Spartan soldier, and his voice echoes to fit his self-identity as a God.
The soldiers aren’t small either—except for their outfits, which might be the only turn-off for the guys. Every Spartan boy was taken from his mother at the age of seven to start training, so you can imagine how toned his muscles were as a full-grown man. These muscles were easily seen as the men only wore speedos, red capes, and straps from their boots. The women were also in shape, as they were still true Spartans, and everyone wore strategically-placed linen clothes. One look at these men and the average person would crumble with fear. The Persians, though, believed it would be an easy match—how hard could it be for millions to defeat 300?
The Spartans were bred and trained for fighting and surely would not go down without a glorious fight and without taking Persians down, too. Their strategy was simple: fight as a unit and utilize shields to protect the man to the left. By directing the troops into a narrow passageway, the Spartans could then push back the front line and withdraw weapons. Thousands of enemy soldiers were slaughtered before anyone reached a Spartan. Fighters from all reaches of the globe and with all different deadly talents were sent in waves to wear down the Greek’s strength, but with each new battle scar and victory, the Spartans gained momentum and hope. Even the fight scenes mimicked this rush, as they would slow down with each one-on-one battle, and speed up as the soldier lunged through the air to his next target. However, these men could only handle so much, and eventually the audience is brought back to the reality and probability of those few men defeating such a vast army.
Aside from the focus on the fighting scenes themselves, there is also key dialogue mixed in that examines the political ramifications of such a battle, which often times mirrors the current situation in Iraq. The characters are very aware of the price of freedom, repeating “freedom isn’t free” several times, yet some are still not in support of the king’s decision to wage war. Even the queen gets involved and begs the councilmen to send more troops, so that the 300 men would not have died in vain, and everyone could remember what they fought to preserve.
Though there were some subtleties with the politics and some personal trust issues, 300 is really a movie in which the plot is driven by the violence. Often times there are scenes of violence for the sake of showing violence, and audiences should not be looking to this film to get a serious look on Greek history and warfare. But if you are looking for kick-ass fighting scenes that are enhanced by Frank Miller’s creative eye and by larger-than-life characters, then 300 is a must-see.
