Brainless comic book movie fun

Rating: 7/10 (13 July 2015)

300 follows King Leonidas as he leads 300 Spartan warriors in a battle against the Persians. As macho, loud and violent as the Spartan warriors at the centre of its story, 300 doesn't win points for subtlety or storytelling but succeeds as an entertaining spectacle that knows what it is and successfully washes out the traumatic memories of Meet the Spartans. 300, thanks to it being filmed on a digital back lot, inevitably feels artificial and video game like a lot of the time. Characterization is not the film's priority, although you do care about many of the characters and the characters seem to care about each other, so that underneath it all there seems to be human souls within the characters, which was a pleasant surprise. The "This Is Sparta!" scene is rightfully legendary and various other good movie quotes are heard during the film. The ending works well although the beginning feels somewhat slow. The story isn't that interesting since it's very one note and only goes the way it does thanks to a pretty stupid decision.
This is very much a blockbuster whose sole purpose is to entertain and give a good time. That it does, although it was likely better on the big screen. Visually it is undeniably a spectacle to behold and some of the fight sequences are brilliantly done. The film makes better use of slow motion than many films do and there are many memorable moments throughout the film. It doesn't follow a predictable plot and in general, it's a good time but not a lot more than that. I have no problems with movies just being a good time, although it should be noted that this is likely going to be pretty dull for many who aren't in its target audience. It has its dull moments and lacks the human touch that Sin City, which is similar to this, did although it boasts a good performance from Gerard Butler in the lead role. A good fantasy action film overall and worthy of its cult following. It's a good amount of fun although it never amounts to a lot more than that. Still, at least's it's memorable unlike many other films of its type.
7/10