Male Beauty Never Before So Lovingly Presented

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2007)

I had to write in response to all the straight fanboys are who raving about 300. Like them, I love this film too, but I love it without having to resort to denying its breathtaking homoeroticism or mocking Xerxes for his supposed effeminacy. (Xerxes is not just androgynous, he is commanding and imposing; he is a match and worthy adversary for Leonidas; their scene together, when Xerxes nearly swoons with desire and then walks up behind Leonidas to put his big paws on Leonidas' shoulders, is stunning.) I love this film for the way the camera caresses the bodies of the Spartan warriors; for its resplendent and transcendent acting, direction, cinematography, screenplay, sound, music, art direction, and special effects; for the tender way it presents Leonidas' profile before he is cut down. This is the best and most handsome film since Brokeback Mountain. Astounding. Never before has male beauty been so lovingly presented on the screen.