An enjoyable action film

Rating: 7/10 (6 February 2016)

As this retelling of the story of the Battle of Thermopylae opens Dilios, a survivor of the battle, narrates as we learn how his leader Leonidas grew up learning to be a fighter before growing up to become the King of Sparta. We then learn how King Xerxes of the Persians sends a messenger to Sparta demanding that they acknowledge his supremacy Leonidas responds by kicking the messenger down the well! He knows that if he is to prevent the destruction of Sparta he will have to face Xerxes superior forces; the oracles forbid going to war at that time but he takes a force of three hundred warriors to a pass known as the 'Hot Gates'; here a small force will be able to hold off a superior attacker. Soon battle is raging as wave after wave of Xerxes' forces attack Leonidas' small band of Spartans. Back in Sparta Gorgo, Leonidas' wife tries to rally support to send the rest of the army.
If you are after historical accuracy this may not be the film to watch; however it might inspire viewers to learn more about the events which can't be bad. If you want action this film has lots of it; much of it is fairly bloody but it isn't too disturbing thanks to the stylised way in which it is presented. The action is exciting and fairly non-stop once the battle has begun. The use of CGI is effective and not too obvious. The cast do a decent enough job with the material; although most of them just have to shout a lot and fight even more. On the downside the Spartans, who we are meant to support, come across as a bunch of proto-fascists; this is especially true in the opening scenes where we see young Leonidas taken from his mother and brutally forced to becoming a warrior whose greatest honour would be to die for Sparta. Overall I enjoyed this more than I expected and would recommend it to somebody after a film with lots of action.