Wow. Great Movie

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2009)

This movie is just beautifully done. It comes across as a higher art form. It takes cinema to another level. It is pure and simple, the best of anything is simple and straightforward, despite all of the complicated work it takes to achieve those results. Gerard Butler is great in this, there is so much he says with just his eyes, and his movements and stance are just perfect for this character. It is good vs. evil and both are portrayed so well. Rodrigo Santoro is creepy yet mesmerizing as Xerxes. He has a snake-like quality to him when he asks Leonidas to kneel before him, as if he is not asking for much. Will you sell your freedom and values for gold? Reminded me of the serpent and Eve. I was surprised to learn that many of the catchy one liners or simple dialog in the movie were actually taken from Herodotus' account of the Battle of Thermopylae. Those were some of the best lines in the movie. There are SO MANY great lines from this movie that are memorable and worth repeating. The movie moved along nicely. The dialog was succinct, nothing was wasted, and they said much with very little, both in dialog and with the changes in location. Lena Heady was amazing as the queen. She showed her Spartan toughness in wielding a sword. It's an inspiring epic that doesn't plod along at an epic pace. The music was perfect. All the elements came together to make one great film. And all the beefcake walking around was pretty great too HA-OOH!