Not for men only

Rating: 10/10 (12 March 2007)

So far, I've seen this movie twice on IMAX -- two days in a row. I looked around and I definitely felt outnumbered! I was one of a handful of women in the theater. I think the two men sitting near me couldn't figure me out and why I was there alone on Friday afternoon. I told them, hey I'm a Gerry Butler fan and the movie is full of half naked men, what's not to like? I have been waiting for this movie for two years, and it is Zack Snyder's masterpiece! It is simply visually stunning. I just wanted the experience to wash over me. Every frame was like a beautiful oil painting. The violence didn't bother me. I'm not one to seek out slasher films (or zombie films, but I did enjoy Zack's Dawn of the Dead), but I like Gladiator and films like it. It's like Debbie Snyder characterized it -- a ballet of death. It's all so over the top and beautiful that it's nothing like the horror of a war movie like Saving Private Ryan. The severed limbs and decapitations -- Seems strange to say, but it's weirdly beautiful. You just sit there with your mouth open in admiration at the way Zack filmed this. I love, love, love his filming technique for the battle sequences. So many films -- think Gladiator here -- just make it a choppy viewpoint of a man in the battle maelstrom. You're sharing in the confusion of the battle participants and you have no idea how the battle is going -- it's just all chaos. THIS movie was not like that. I loved how the alternating speed up, slow mo had you appreciating each movement. It wasn't just a crowd of guys banging around.
I couldn't help thinking about the words of some of the negative reviews. So I asked myself, is this dialog cheesy and trite? I didn't have that reaction -- I just ate it all up. It's like nothing you've ever seen before, and I don't really expect an action movie to have the deepest plot. Some people said the plot was too thin, but really, what else would have been added to have MORE? I think more background would have dragged down the story and the impact of it all. It's tight, concise and packs the punch promised in the trailer. Does Gerry's journey have less Gravitas than Crowe's Maximus? Maybe Crowe had more to work with for an emotional body blow to the audience, but I still enjoyed the ride Zack took me on. Contrast this to drivel like Fantastic Four. If you're going to do a comic book movie, do the damn thing RIGHT! And that's just what Zack did. Even the ending credits were beautiful graphic art. You gotta love a movie that credits "Transexual Asian" numbers 1, 2 and three! lol!
Gerry Butler was absolutely amazing! He had the mantle of a king always, and it was totally believable that those men would follow him to their death. I have to thank Zack for that moonlit shot and the love scene. That was probably mostly for us women, and we thank you most sincerely!! Very tastefully done. I feel like most R rated films that have love scenes are all about giving eye candy to the men in the audience, but I felt like you gave all genders a little gift there.
All the actors were great, and having seen Lena Headey in much lighter fare before, I was quite impressed with her regal performance here. Rodrigo Santoro was so different than most of his previous movies. Loved his menacing presence. Michael Fassbender as Stelios really stood out for me as well. He got some of the best lines of the film, "We will fight in the shade", etc. but his wicked grin looking forward to his beautiful death is something I won't soon forget.
I've been a Gerry Butler fan for years, but now I am a die-hard Zack Snyder fan. I can't wait to see his upcoming films. He has the eye of a true artist.