I had the good fortune of screening 300 twice before writing up my review and seeing it the second time solidified my opinion that I did enjoy this film. However, it also helped me conclude that the glue truly holding the entire picture together was not the glorious special effects, the blood and gore, the much talked about abdominals on the Spartan warriors or the techno/rock soundtrack. The success of this film lay squarely on the shoulders of Lena Headey as she played Queen Gorgo, a character writer/director Zack Snyder made larger than she was in Frank Miller’s graphic novel of which the film was based. Lucky for us that decision was made.
300 tells the story of the legendary Battle of Thermopylae as 300 Spartan soldiers face the massive army of the invading Persians led by the self-proclaimed God-King Xerxes. They are certainly outmatched in numbers but not in heart or skill. This is the story of that battle and the effect it had on all of Greece.
As the trailers promise the visuals of 300 are larger than life and so striking it takes a moment to adjust your eyes and believe what you are seeing. The 300 men enlisted to Spartan King Leonidas’s army are chiseled and ready to fight. Snyder does a fantastic job telling his story through the words of Dilios as he depicts a battle that could only exist in Spartan imagination as they see elephants and fighters of all sorts for the very first time. Snyder also does a good job of dedicating some time to explaining the Spartan fighting techniques, which serves useful as they are getting ready to face insurmountable odds.
As King Leonidas, Gerard Butler certainly puts himself squarely on the map. I can only assume most of the people turning out for 300 didn’t catch Gerry in his last flick, Phantom of the Opera, so he is certainly opening himself up to a much broader audience here. Butler turns in a menacing performance as he is the heart of the battlefield and the cry heard among the masses.
Those looking for a history lesson aren’t going to find it here as many liberties are taken with the ancient story. Instead you are venturing into fanboy heaven with stylized blood and battle scenes, so much so your head will spin. However, for the filmgoer needing more than just bloody battlegrounds you get the relationship between a king and not only his people and his loyalty to the land, but also his queen, the centerpiece of the emotional high this movie receives.
Queen Gorgo is the catalyst to the only in-movie applause I heard in both of my screenings. At the beginning of the film she utters the line, “Because only Spartan women give birth to real men.” This line is powerful and degrading to the Persian messenger questioning her attendance and sets the tone of the film from the outset. Lena Headey offered it with such conviction you wouldn’t dare question her and you can’t help but fall for her beauty and on screen presence.
With a running time just shy of two hours 300 does have its moments where it plods along but this is such a visually striking film you can’t help but get wrapped up in it. 300 is truly like nothing you have ever seen before. Even if you don’t fall for the storyline, don’t care about the men on the battlefield or the Queen back home in Sparta you can’t help but enjoy the style in which this film was shot and the energy brought to every scene.
300 is not for everyone and it is not a perfect film, but as long as you open up your mind and let your imagination run free I don’t see how you can’t find something to enjoy. As for taking a date fellas, I really think many women will be able to find enjoyment in Queen Gorgo, it isn’t often you see women this powerful on screen, even after a terrible moment of weakness.
