Inspiring for its Uniqueness

Rating: 7/10 (5 April 2007)

I must start off by saying it was rather different from what I was expecting. I've seen many movies with the same positive and negative features.
The positive features included the filming techniques, music and acting. The filming techniques were excellent, picking good camera angles and focusing was as best as could be hoped for. The positioning of the camera for certain angles during fight scenes made the action very spectacular. The music was very appropriate at each scene. The theme music was very dramatic, setting the mood within the audience. The acting was great, Gerard Butler was very inspiring, throughout the whole movie he wanted to achieve glory at every instant This tendency reflected the glory of Sparta well. I must commend the fighting scenes as well, they just made me want to applaud the Spartan's success for the warriors who after years of hardship to become so powerful and dominating.
Before you think I have no idea where the information of the movie came from, which is the graphic novel, I believe some historical and realistic facts should have been included.
The negative features did not wreck the film but they could have been prevented in my belief. Firstly, the story line was to narrow. It seems that the director tried to put a lot of the action into the 2 hours. Although the director set the context at the start, he needed to make the audience more compassionate for Sparta. This could have been done by showing them gaining a victory a moral victory during the First Persian War, portraying them as the protectors of good. Secondly, I believe the director was a bit too grotesque with his selection of certain mutant characters. Each time one of these characters appeared the audience laughed. I don't believe the director was attempting to achieve this and should have been more realistic in character selection. Finally, the story could have been more lengthy. I acknowledge the fact that the movie was portraying the greatest resistance in history, but the greatest movies are that of which the life surrounding the movie of the "good guys / hometown" becomes greater and more peaceful through hardship. This may seem harsh, but I did not say this was damming to the movie's excellence. The story line was still acceptable.
Overall, I would give this film 7 out of 10 (on the basis movies like Return of the King are 9.5). It's an awe inspiring film, which captivated the audience through its wondrous filmography and stunning battle scenes. The drama the director incorporated was excellent. There was minor criticism which in my belief made the film more unique.
For all those war and/or history genre fans, this is one movie you can't miss with it's heart rushing drama and inspiring battle scenes.
And yes, I used the word inspiring a lot, only because the film is just that.
By C Macdonald of Australia