Pure Fun, 300%

Rating: 9/10 (14 January 2011)

Zack Snyder seems like an enlightened version of Michael Bay. He's come up through commercials to fun action movies movies. One of the common features of Snyder's flicks, are hot tough iron women, in contrast to Bay's lead women who always end up needing a man to save them. Snyder by contrast has had Sarah Polley in Dawn Of The Dead, Silk Spectre in Watchmen, and the chicks galore in the upcoming Suckerpunch. In between DOTD and WM came 300, with Lena Headey, as the posh hot iron woman Queen Gorgo, who gives the messenger cheek and reams the traitor with a sword.
This movie is also great fun. the story is easy enough to follow, the Spartans sympathetic, the blood flows, plenty of action, and good momentum. I just sat back and watched the movie go, nothing hard to think about, but not the crap you get on TV. The movie's also got moments of reprieve, where you can take a breath, and then dive back into the next slaughter, unlike Sin City which was non-stop, too much, and thought misogyny and violence against women are okay.
The special effects do the movie justice. They create the atmosphere of the flick, immerse you in the world the Spartans, and makes great escapism.
The music score is good to, epic and dark, sometimes together, sometimes on their own.
And the really good thing is the entertainment, let your brain switch off, go for the ride, and have a good time, at the movies or on DVD, on any night. It's great escapism, forget the political debates, financial news, sport and celebrity gossip, this helps one forget it all. No political agenda, no melodrama/temper tantrums/mental breakdowns/drugs/domestic disputes/corrupt cops. This has a set of characters you like, good SFX, nice action scenes, good momentum, easy story, and a tough hot queen. 300 delivers.
300% pure fun.