On the cusp of genius

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2007)

...but genius it's not. Understand that and you can open your eyes to what is, in effect, a good movie - not a great one.
I've yet to meet someone who's watched this movie and not been impressed or enjoyed it immensely. It's got stirring speeches, easily identifiable good/bad paradigms, human faults aplenty (temptation, greed, egotism) and jaw-dropping action and visuals. What it is lacking is one simple thing: Menace. The antagonist here is an 8ft drag queen with a penchant for piercings and an unnaturally resonant voice - one that certainly doesn't complement his choice of lipstick. The most evil thing Xerxes does in the whole film is make Ephialtes wear a silly jester's hat. For me, the whole thing was let down by the fact that we never fear the Persian horde. They allegedly burn down a village (which we don't actually see) and make a tree out of the corpses (which we do). But their army appears to consist of wet blankets and 'trick or treaters'. Such a shame because it makes Leonidas's last stand seem somewhat disproportionate.
I also felt that the visual explanation of how the Persians cutting off the remaining Spartan unit was really lacking. It's almost as though the big final battle was played on fast forward (sic). There's just no sense of climax about it.
Great to see 'real' (possibly meaning bearded) heroes are back en vogue.
All in all, it's a good film. The subplot back at Sparta adds a suitably cloak and dagger conspiracy feeling to the film, which is totally appropriate. The symbolism is a little heavy handed and dialogue is occasional pure pantomime ("Let's hope nobody tells the Persians about it" - it's behind you!) but let that all pass you by and you will have a great time watching it and getting sucked into the world of 300.
It's a great feast for the eyes, ears and heart. It's a light salad for the brain.
You want our hard earned coins from repeated viewings at the multiplex? Molon lave.