Many writers wish their books were adapted likewise

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2007)

First, 300 is based on a comic book by Frank Miller (Robocop 2), inspired in the battle of Thermopylae. So don't even bother seeing it, if comic book violence, action over character, style over substance, fantasy over realism is your thing. Second, this movie captures the very essence of the comic book, frame by frame and word by word. Sounds familiar? Maybe because Robert Rodriguez already did it in 2005's Sin City, based on a comic book by, guess who? Frank Miller. Other comic book artist in the vein of Miller have seen their work butchered on the screen. Example is Allan Moore, whose comic books have spawned a bunch of mediocre movies (V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). But Frank comic books are perfect for the screen. The stylish frames are the perfect storyboard. The characters over the top, the wardrobe iconic and visually arresting. Of course, Spartans didn't go to war wearing tongs and red capes, but the symbolism of it, godlike bodies almost nude, tells you about the characters more than any words. The same with the mangled, ugly bad guys, visually altered to give maximum impact. His words are simplistic, but piercing, and like the medium, macho as hell ("Spartan, come back with your shield, or on it."), that's why you can do a script by simply copy/paste-ing exactly what you read in the comic book. It's the perfect blueprint for an action movie. Snyder knew all this and took every artistic license possible to do this movie like a comic book. He used tricks done by Rodriguez before, only that Rodriguez relying on star power distracted me from the stories in Sin City, also Sin City's pace was not enough to savour each story: Sin City tells 3 stories from 3 books as long as 300 in the same space of time. A lot of people will look at this movie looking for other entertainment tricks used more in regular films. This is looking back. The great thing about 300 is that freshens up the tired sword-and-sandal genre. It's a very welcome update and one of the best films of the decade.