Visually stunning

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2007)

Drawn from the pages of the 300 comic book by Frank Miller, this film is directed by Dawn of the Dead (remake) director Zack Snyder. The film utilises a similar process to another Miller inspired film, Sin City, in which the cast acted against a green screen and everything else was digitally put in afterwards. So much CGI could have made the film a mess of the Van Helsing degree, but instead it works really well, and actually looks much better than, say, Ghost Rider (which had twice the budget and much less CGI).
Set in the time of ancient Greece, the Persian empire is slowly advancing across the known world, absorbing all it encounters. Anyone who refuses to join them are killed. However the thousands upon thousands of the Persian army find their hardest battle against a mere 300 soldiers of Sparta. The King of Sparta, Leonidas, defies the will of the oracle and the council by taking his small force with him to head off the Persians. His stand against the invaders stirs up talk of revolt in Sparta, and whilst he risks his life, conspirators plot to usurp his rule back home.
This is a film that wears its comic book origins proudly, and the lensing of each shot seems to come right out of the pages of the book. The sepia toning of the film gives it that 'ancient' feel, and makes the striking red of the Spartan cloaks, and indeed the blood, stand out so much more. Coupled with some beautiful choreography in the fights, which contain a great deal of slow motion to allow us to truly absorb the grace and skill of the Spartan combatants, it makes the battles looks so fantastic.
The dialogue is perhaps the weakest element of the film, something that Sin City also suffered from. What works on the page doesn't quite work when spoken. However this is a minor quibble as the visuals more than make up for it all.