300 is a visually stunning film that brings to life another Frank Miller comic book. In case you didn't already know, Miller was the same creative genius that inpired another comic-book-to-film transalation of his work, Sin City. Are you starting to see the trend here?
The story is all about a fictional representation of the events that occured around the Battle of Thermopylae during which one of the Spartan kings, King Leonidas, defended the pass at Thermopylae with 300 Spartans and some Greek soldiers also supporting. The bottom line is that they were vastly outnumbered in the face of a massive Persian army.
The movie was very stylized, which I liked a lot since it tried to keep to the feel of the original comic book and was somewhat reminiscent of Frank Miller's style. This of course could just be a natural consequence of the film being pretty much shot in a "virtual studio" with most of the backgrounds and landscapes added in later digitally.
Most of the buzz around the movie tends to center on either the somewhat excessive but still stylized violence or the fact that the actors didn't need costumes - they just had to show off their bodies earned from weeks upon weeks of rigorous training. Teh hot! It's quite surprising that the amazing-looking King Leonidas (as played by Gerard Butler) was the game who previously brought The Phantom of the Opera to life. Now that is working out!
Special kudos to my personal faves Tom Wisdom and Tyler Neitzel who played Astinos and the younger King Leonidas respectively. Sorry ladies, but I really have a thing for slim-and-trim, somewhat twinky guys, haha. Special mention also goes to Rodrigo Santoro who was also very, um, impressive in his golden garb, although I'm not sure if I'd ever really get into golden "unmentionables" haha.
So based on that last paragraph, I think I obliquely hit on the concern that 300 is kinda gay in some aspects, mainly because of the ludicrous amount of eye candy and how touchy-feely some of the Spartans were. Then again at the end of the day they were still Greeks and the period was known for a higher appreciation of the human form and male, um, friendships.
So whether you're a hard core Frank Miller fan looking for some amazing fight scenes or you're just a gushy school girl after the male eye candy, 300 promises to be an amazing movie for you. I just wish that people would just appreciate it as a work of fiction an not turn it into some Hollywood metaphor for the conflict in the Middle East. Go figure.
Related Links:
- IMDb: 300
- TIME Magazine: The Art of War
- TIME Magazine: 300 Sparks an Outcry in Iran
- TIME Magazine: 7 Reasons Why 300 Is a Huge Hit
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