Computer-Effects Extravaganza Better Than I Expected

Rating: 8/10 (18 August 2007)

300 Once again, not having high expectations turned a movie into a pleasant surprise. Oh, this isn't anything super, but it is a lot better than I had heard. Yeah, I heard the usual "it's just moronic mayhem, nothing but blood and guts and way overdone action."
Not really. I've seen a number of films with a lot more action than in here. When they did have it, unlike a lot of other films, the carnage didn't go on and on. It lasted a few minutes at most and broke for a lull.
The only aspect I thought was sub-par was some of the dialog, which sounded juvenile in spots. That and, at least for me, I found myself unable to get involved with any of the characters. Oh, I definitely did not want "the bad guy" to win but I didn't think the "good guy" was anything appealing, either.
What WAS appealing were the colors in here and the special-effects. What a tremendous visual movie this is, just stunning in parts and interesting to look at from start-to-finish. That's what held my attention. Sure, I could tell the obvious computer-generated effects, but so what? This movie simply was fun to ogle, with all it's incredible scenery, outrageous monster-like characters and dramatic colors. For that alone, this movie is worth seeing.