Now, before you gents go running in fear of a woman reviewing an action flick, let me clear something up - I am more sooner to go see an action movie than a chick flick. With that out of the way, I will say that 300 is the first movie in a long time to entertain many facets of my personality and keep the entertained for the
entire span of the movie. The Adrenalin junkie, the artist, the writer, the romancer, the action lover, history buff, ect.
I will say that the art direction for 300 is top notch. They seamlessly blur the live action with the digital/cgi backgrounds. Also the direction in which the Spartans move as a group is stunning. Not to mention the costumes. To go in junction with the art direction, the soundtrack was top notch. Each song fit perfectly with the actions on the screen at the time. It helped to rivet you to the edges of your seat during the foreplay leading to a massive clash of battle, and kept you gasping at the sight of some unseen treason.
The cast was also very well done. I will say that such a strong male role was a little new for Gerard Butler, seeing as one of his most recent roles was that of the anti-hero Phantom of the Opera. He is very convincing as King Leonidas and maintains the stoic composure that you would expect of a Spartan on the field of battle. Lena Headey was an excellent cast as Queen Gorgo. She maintains control and commands the screen time amongst the groups of strong male figures that make up the Spartans and the Spartan council. Yet, she still maintains her womanly side and actions. It's a wonderful mix to see that on the screen.
Now, on the purely random side, a lot of the lines and actions in this movie were so true to life in the military today. I swear that the Spartan 300 were ancient Missile Techs. Just reference the loop hole Leonidas uses to take the 300 to war. Not to mention the diplomacy and being civil scene. Ahh, so many good scenes.
If you liked the graphical style in which Sin City was shot in, you will enjoy the visual that is 300. It keeps true to the graphic novel roots, while also satisfying the history buff that might be lurking in you. There is some gore, but please, it's a rated R movie about one of the most well known battles of the ancient Greek times. There is blood and the like, but it is not "that" bad. I really loved this movie. It was well worth the money and is a definite buy when it hits DVD. I hope you enjoy it as much if you go see it.
Funny Story from after the film:
As Ryan and I were walking to the car, some guys were like "WOAH! You know that it was based on a true story, right? I saw it on the history channel." I busted out laughing, and Ryan was looking at me funny till I told him what I had overheard.
Labels: 300