300: A Girl's Perspective

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2007)

As a hard-core Gerard Butler fan, this movie was always on the must-see list, especially after the many months of hype through internet video journals, training blogs, and intriguing photos of oily men in leather underwear! But Zach Snyder has provided so much more than sweaty shots of well-toned men posturing in front of a green screen.
Like Sin City, 300 is based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller. The scene is the Battle of Thermopylae, 480 B.C. where King Leonidas of Sparta (played with roaring and nashing of teeth by Gerard Butler) unwaveringly led his 300 soldiers to ward off the coming Persians, aiding in the dawn of a new day, bringing the hope of democracy to the land. Students of history will be pleased with the accuracy for which Snyder has told this tale.
This movie is visually stunning and poetic. Snyder has created a look that is both beautiful and desolate. Stark grey cliffs and sea are juxtaposed with the billowing scarlet robes of the soldiers. The moon impossibly fills the night sky, illuminating the raw faces of the 300 men, awaiting the dawn, ready to meet their destiny with bravery and determination.
In addition to kick-ass battle scenes that speed up and slow down to a rocking soundtrack, 300 also shows love and tenderness between a King, trained since birth to be a ruthless leader, and his Queen (played with strength and dignity by Lena Headey). The Queen is her King's equal in the bedroom and in the council chamber, a refreshing reminder that women have been respected and revered long before the so-called women's liberation.
In addition to unflinchingly graphic scenes of beheadings, almost lyrical blood-spurting, and a passionate love scene between the King and Queen, 300 also presents orgies and deviant sexual behavior, in the camp of self-appointed god-king Xerxes, himself a transgendered amalgam of masculine power, makeup, and accessories.
This movie is not for everyone, but I highly recommend it on its themes of loyalty, bravery, and destiny. It is a beautiful film, well-crafted and seamless. The acting is top notch, the effects are flawless.