Mindless entertainment without the entertainment

Rating: 3/10 (27 March 2007)

I went to 300 expecting a mindless piece of Hollywood drivel completely lacking in plot, realism, acting or anything that makes movies appealing as works of art- and it's exactly what I expected. Knowing that it is based on a comic book I didn't expect much depth or subtleties in any aspect of the movie- and I was right. The attempts the movie made to convey any comprehensible emotion or feeling in the viewer were bland and predictable. The acting was forced, strained and generally devoid of emotion and the only upside to the movie would be the comic book like visuals which appeal to some, but not me. Halfway through the film my cell phone went off and normally I would be embarrassed to interrupt a movie but I didn't care and neither did the shallow, neck bearded, violence gorging graphic novel enthusiasts as what was I interrupting? The plot? The stumbling dialogue? An arm, a head or a leg being cut off? Oh, excuse me, sir! If you're looking to see a mindless piece of entertainment with plenty of violence, sex and macho bearded dudes in thongs marauding around bellowing corny war cries then I recommend 300- but for the rest of the movie viewers who find films to be more than bland comic book interpretations of history, more than the lifeless acting and over-dramatic predictability depicted in 300- steer clear.