Disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (13 August 2007)

The fighting was brilliant; the green screen completely suited to this graphic novel adaptation. But I still feel let down by this film. It felt like it was trying to be epic like Gladiator, but also true visually to the graphic novel. And, personally, I don't think you can do both. Although the visuals were stunning and detailed, they were done in a way that focused on the individuals rather than the landscape - which is fine, but this film is long and felt like it should be epic, and so all the lack of attention to the surroundings makes it hard to concentrate for this length of time. The story itself is OK, but it doesn't feel like Sparta is really under threat. This film should have been a lot better than it was, or should have been a lot shorter.