Disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (4 April 2007)

When my friends invited me to join them and told me about the plot of the movie, I was quite interested, especially because of its historic aspect, be it realistic or not. I didn't know that it was based on a comic, so I assume that I have a more neutral view on this movie than people who watch the film of their favorite comic.
I must say, I was quite disappointed about this film. First of all because of the meager plot: It is all about slashing throats, blood and spears. A lot of pathos, a few erotic scenes now and then that are quite redundant: More about "sex sells" than a stringent plot.
And then the characters don't show through, even Leonidas is portrayed merely as a heroic maniac. His relation to his wife, soldiers and his enemy, the politics of the war, the strategy, etc. are all side-dish and very simple. The film builds up very fast by showing these circumstances very quickly, just to reach the fighting scenes as soon as possible.
The end was also very disappointing for me since it did not fit well into the suspense that has been built up, either as a continuation or a contrast of it. It was simply banal. The only thing that was interesting for me was the visual effect. I've never seen this style before, it's a mix of comics and "real".
I'd say if you're a comic fan and you want a film of violence and blood, with an exaggerated plot and nice visual effects, then go for this film. If you're looking for a good and beautiful plot, ambiguous characters and a touch of realism then this movie will be disappointing for you.