300 A Decent Retelling of the Battle At Thermopylae

Rating: 7/10 (27 June 2009)

This movie is a decent retelling of the battle at Thermopylae in 480 B.C. where King Leonidas and a force of 300 men fought a massive army of Persians in order to protect Greece. Director Zack Snyder for the most part gives audiences what they expect after seeing the trailer to this despite some flaws with character development and a somewhat slow beginning before the action kicks into high gear. 300 has just enough blood, brutal deaths, limps being chopped off like butter, and impressive special effects including legendary creatures and landscapes with a thunderous score by Tyler Bates which seems to fit the tone of the film. The cast are good in their roles including Gerard Butler who brings an intensity to his performance as King Leonidas, Leana Headey as his tough feisty wife Queen Gorgo, David Wenham as one of Leonidas' brave soldiers Dilios, and Dominic West as the devious corrupt traitor Theron. The rest of the cast are okay in their roles as well. The action which does really start to kick in until about 35-40 mins into the movie except for one or two brief action sequences in the beginning are well executed none the less. The special effects are definitely the highlight of the film and it helps bring to life this story about the 300 Spartans who sacrificed their lives for Greece. This movie seems to be told from the Spartans point of view because some of the creatures are a bit unrealistic but it worked adding some supernatural elements to the story that really did happen a long time ago. The slow-mo sex scene between Butler and Heady was steamy but it did feel a bit unnecessary but as a guy I'm not complaining that much. So overall despite some flaws 300 is a decent action adventure that delivers for the most part. If you're a fan of these type of movies than chances are you'll enjoy this one as well.