300 Makes (Movie) History New Again

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2007)

300 takes us back to about 500 years before the birth of Christ to a time when men who dreamed of conquering the world  at least what was known of it  could actually do so. At that time, the all powerful conqueror was Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), a man whose ego may have been the only thing bigger than his substantial army. As Xerxes made his way across the Mediterranean leaving subjugated peoples in his wake, he set his sights on Greece.
The city-states that then made up modern day Greece had varying reactions to becoming targets. A few simply agreed to annex themselves to Xerxes' rapidly growing kingdom. But among those that refused Xerxes' emissaries was the small region called Sparta. Ruled by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his Queen, Gorgo (Lena Headey), Sparta was known for the caliber of its fighting men as much as for its pride.
King Leonidas petitioned his priests for their blessing before battle, but the priests consulted with an oracle whose confusing message was interpreted by them to mean Sparta should not fight. Because Spartan law required that the king obey the priests, Leonidas gathered up a few hundred of his best men and called them his "bodyguards." Tongue in cheek, Leonidas announced that he was "going for a walk," and he and his bodyguards departed for the coastal "hot gates" (named for the hot springs nearby) in the hopes they might funnel Xerxes' army into the narrow pass there.
Allying himself with a few men of like mind (some 700 Thespians among them), Leonidas commanded a force that might have totaled 3,000 at its peak. Formulating a battle plan, he prepared to face an army whose numbers are estimated to have been anywhere from 200,000 to two million soldiers strong.
Meanwhile, back at home, Queen Gorgo is doing all that she can to urge the ruling Council to send forces to bolster her husband's stand. She maneuvers with the politically-astute Theron (Dominic West) to gain his support for her efforts, but even as Leonidas faces betrayal from within, Gorgo also has to deal with those whose greed outweighs all else. She is among the few who, along with the king, knows full well that a victory for Xerxes means far more than a change of allegiance. Instead, it means the loss of everything Spartan, including first and foremost real freedom.
Gerard Butler is as loud and defiant as you'd expect King Leonidas to be, and Lena Headey presents a flawless portrait of a wife who is really just as brave and stoic as her husband. Vincent Regan and David Wenham are terrific soldiers under Leonidas' command, and Andrew Tiernan manages despite substantial prosthetic effects to convey the desperation as well as the twisted greed of the deformed Ephialtes. Rodrigo Santoro, meanwhile, is transformed with the aid of make-up and computer magic to a man one might actually believe has some godhood running through his veins.
Director Zack Snyder does a good job (though there are moments I felt Leonidas' mood was too instantly volatile and some edits too abrupt), particularly when it comes to some of the most amazing camera techniques I've ever seen. There are repeated instances of slow motion that are jaw-dropping, and camera angles that add immeasurably to the scope of the battle scenes. When you put that talent together with a good cast and CGI work unlike anything I've ever seen, 300 is more than a little impressive on screen. The CGI is so good, that even the water looks real let alone the stony cliffs of the "hot gates." The battle scenes are flawlessly rendered amidst background action you'd swear was really there; the graphic wounds and deaths are as real as can be (with a couple of lamentable exceptions which, in the midst of so much brilliance, are almost forgivable).
The only real flaw I saw in 300 is a script (co-written by Snyder) that could have been quite a bit better. The dialog is often stilted in its attempt to sound something like the ancient Greeks might have spoken (though there are moments of sheer genius), and the story occasionally proceeds in something of a "herky-jerky" fashion. 300 could have been better, I think, its message was as good as it gets.
King Leonidas rallied his soldiers in the film by saying, "A new age has come, an age of freedom. And all will know that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it." 2,500 years after the fact, we still know. That's one hell of a legacy for liberty, and one I think not enough people can know enough about.
FAMILY SUITABILITY: 300 is rated R for "graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity." 300 is unequivocally not for small children. The blood and gore alone is substantial, and much of the subject matter is quite adult. Remember, though, that 300 is based on a graphic novel which is often the bailiwick of the teen-aged boy. Given their pre-existing exposure to such pictures and plot lines, I believe that most 14 year-olds would be perfectly fine.
That being said, given the lessons offered up by 300, I'd hope that the movie gets a broad exposure and that you take what you learn to heart enough that you take the time to learn more. Leonidas died a long, long time ago, but his courage can still inspire. Here's hoping that it does.