Visually stunning, artistically lacking

Rating: 6/10 (26 March 2007)

A fan of the earlier film adaptation of Frank Miller's work, Sin City, I held rather optimistic expectations for the highly-touted bloodbath "300." As nearly anyone who's seen it will attest, 300 is a stupendously stunning visual accomplishment. The visual effects, color themes, sets and most props and costumes blended seamlessly to create an awe-inspiring spectacle of war portrayed candidly.
But my accolades cease here.
Beyond its gritty, ultra-violent visual appeal, 300 leaves much to be desired in nearly every other relevant category. Chiefly, its portrayal of the Battle of Thermopylae does not hold true with many historical facts of the real battle. Leonidas fights alongside a larger, albeit less skilled, horde of Arcadians in the film, when in actuality King Leonidas rallied his Spartans alongside hundreds of very capable Mantineans, Thebans, Phocians, Corinthians and Phlians, just to name a few.
Secondly, the thematic element which attempted to establish identity with the viewer, that of "patriotism" and "freedom at all costs," defeats itself and leaves a hollow void, severely detracting from the film's emotional appeal. I reason thusly: the writer goes to great pains to illustrate the disciplined, war-driven Spartan way of life: that of constant training for battle and absolutely no room for emotion; a culture utterly devoted to the study of warfare and the art of killing. According to 300, Spartans live to kill, and for no other reason (this "fact" is further reinforced by the scene where Leonidas and his detachment encounters the Arcadians for the first time).
Yet contrast this thematic element to the aforementioned theme of raging patriotism and the rallying cry of a free people to resist tyranny and subjugation at all costs, and we're left with all the emotionally moving effect of a paralyzed dog trying to chase a dead cat. Why should I feel sympathetic to the freedom and independence of a nation that prides itself *solely* on the destruction of others? I paraphrase Leonidas' rallying cry to his troops, and the moral underpinning of 300: "Let's fight and die for our right to fight and die!" Theme aside, 300 suffers from almost total lack of character development or compelling developments to the plot. The audience breaks from the incessant, gratuitous, utterly unrealistic portrayal of spraying blood only to witness a thin subplot involving Leonidas' wife and a treacherous member of the Spartan senate. All else barely qualifies as mere story-building or plain filler. The audience does not leave the theater with any meaningful understanding of actual tradition or culture from ancient Greece, yet leaves quite reassured that all ancient Persians were incompetent, foolhardy and inhuman.
Summarily, 300 offers quite a scrumptious treat for those expecting 117 minutes of brutal human slaughter captured in Matrix-like slow-mo camera style drenched in copious amounts of computer-generated blood. But to those who enjoy depth, historical accuracy, plot variation and emotional prowess in their films, 300 will certainly not impress you.