Excellent movie but possibly less so without background knowledge

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2007)

As someone who's done a classics degree I have to say that I love this movie. I thought the graphic novel element worked really well. I can't stomach gore in movies but, like 'Sin City', it all seems must less bad and more artistic when done in the way they filmed it. the battle scenes were fantastic - so much tension and power, and Gerard Butler was brilliant. I can understand that it has it's flaws but I find it odd that people complain about lack of character definition and a simple plot. Personally it doesn't matter to me that a plot is simple as long as it is deep, and this one certainly is. A lack of back story possibly made it seem less so than it is though. Great back story given for the Spartans but virtually none for the Persian War itself. If something had shown how much influence Thermopylae had on the outcome of the war and eventually on the entire western world (because so much of our civilisation is influenced by the Greeks) it might have packed even more of a punch and made the Spartan sacrifice seem even more noble.
And as for lack of character definition, for me that was actually a good point about the film. It possibly could have been emphasised more, but the film did a good job of presenting the Spartan way of life. A life completely geared towards war and fighting, almost putting human connections second. Plus the Spartans were well known for not being the most communicative of people - the term laconic actually comes from them. Any more character definition and you might as well have been talking about a completely different race - that was just who the Spartans were.
So, in conclusion, very impressed but I can understand how without background knowledge I might have been less so. What people have said a negative points actually work in it's favour if you know a bit about it, and there were lots of little in-jokes that kept me happy. And for a graphic novel, wierdly accurate to the history. Which is more than can be said for films which don't have that excuse - like 'Troy'. On the other hand, background knowledge or no background knowledge it was still a tremendous battle movie, with really strong battle scenes, constant action and a powerful sense of tragedy and sacrifice. Only weak bits were the Queen Gorgo bits. They lessened the pace and tension of what, without them, could have been a top class movie.