300 Strong: From Comic to Film

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2007)

For centuries, story-telling has provided an imaginative portal into past cultures. Whether they're pictures on cave walls or just tales around a campfire, stories assure that an event is remembered. Frank Miller, for example, published a graphic novel to portray his take on an important piece of history, the Battle of Thermopylae. The book tells the tale of three hundred fearless Spartans along with other Greeks who fought for freedom in the face of tyranny. Taught never to retreat, the Spartans and their king, Leonidas, were forced to defend their homeland from the annihilation of King Xerxes and the abundant Persian army. Zack Snyder, director of "Dawn of the Dead" (2004), brings Miller's vision to life with his adaptation of the comic "300".
In this particular work, Miller displays his fine ability to tell a story. He uses a dynamic, over-exaggerated style to make every moment seem dramatic. The graphic novel is not necessarily accurate, but instead focuses on getting across the main ideals of the tale. This story is all about standing up for what one believes in even against impossible odds. The film, on the other hand, refers directly to the novel with the exception of a few changes. The script is almost word for word, and at times it seems as if the book is simply coming to life right on the screen. Snyder wanted the film to represent Miller's comic with his own aesthetic and imagination filling in the holes.
If anyone knows how to tell a story, it would be Frank Miller. For example, Leonidas and the wolf in the beginning of the movie may not be historically accurate but it displays Leonidas's strength and ability as a king and a warrior. Each of the graphic novel's pages have beautifully drawn pictures of what Miller envisioned, and the reader can make up the rest. It's really interesting to read the comic and see the movie. It's a completely different experience. The novel lets the reader think of what comes in between scenes, while the movie just shows each scene. The movie, however, does do a fantastic job at not only adapting the comic to film, but using a very stylized and modern technique. Snyder has really changed film-making with his effective use of breathtaking backdrops, unique color patterns, grotesquely choreographed action scenes, and fast and slow motion throughout "300". The only difference between the movie and the novel is the role of women which involves Queen Gorgo and the politics in Sparta. In my opinion, the reason for this was Frank Miller's desire to focus on the Battle of Thermopylae. Zack Snyder believed that this addition to the movie would beef up the plot.
Regardless, whether they are boldly dynamic or modernized, stylized cinematics or spreads of art, Frank Miller's novel and Zack Snyder's film both effectively tell the inspiringly true tale of three hundred men believing in something right, and they will be remembered for centuries to come.