Garbarge

Rating: 1/10 (12 July 2009)

Absolutely abysmal. Unless ALL you want from a film is comic book violence and gore, this film is entirely and completely without merit. Watch the History Channel program on the 300 if you want to gain ANY useful information about actual history. No mention of Themistocles is made, though he (an Athenian) proposed holding the Persians at Thermopylae. No mention of the naval battle that held the Persian navy at bay is made, though it prevented the flanking of the Greek forces until the Persians traversed the path through the mountains.
The film comes across as a Lord of the Rings wanna-be set in the midst of historical events. Unfortunately, almost everything historical (with the exception of names and places) was expunged from the script. Clothing is ridiculous (naked Spartan warriors?), animals are stupendously exaggerated (40 foot tall elephants?), the Persians are depicted as monstrous and Orcish... The film ignores the fact that the Persian army continued to take Athens and didn't leave Greece until after Salamis, another naval battle and part of another strategic flash of brilliance from Themistocles.
The story of the 300 is amazing history and deserved so, so much better than this. Visually, this film may appeal to hard core graphic novel fans. Anyone expecting an actual plot or any fidelity to history should look somewhere (almost anywhere) else.