Incredible potential, but ultimately disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (9 March 2007)

Wrote this elsewhere but I'm pasting it here for those interested.
It was a disappointment. And not because of any supposed political symbolism, homophobic inclusions, "video game" aspirations, racism, and on and on and on... (amazing how we manage to find these items in all sorts of places)...
As a stand-alone film, the surroundings and action were stylish and visually arresting, but its characters and contrived drama were mediocre. They never elevated the fight or world to a level beyond technological and artistic flourishes -- although the fervor of Butler's role came close at times. The action sequences try hard to make up for this, but the awe-inspiring force of cinematic battle by itself does not make for a meaningful film. It can make for an entertaining one, though, and that will be this film's chief draw and quality.
As an adaptation (and this is where it counts in my mind), it tried vehemently to mirror its source, but only managed to capture the barest essence of Miller's original watercolored Spartans --> In its copycat style (an approach handled much more exquisitely by Sin City, which adapted itself extremely well to the different live-action form), it provides only a *visible* facsimile. It copied over scenes, dialog, gestures, and a degree of Spartan power, but it left the spark of its chief characters behind. There is no hesitation or distraction in the comic Leonidas, no hastened or undercooked back story in the comic Ephialtes, there is no individual or paired scuffle with the comic Spartans but rather an unconquerable mass of human determination, and there is also a sense of raw, wide-eyed terror in the Persian ranks which doesn't appear on screen.
What goes beyond this, however, is that it allows itself a "Meanwhile, back in Sparta..." subplot which clutters and, for me, diminishes the critical situation in the Hot Gates. Miller took care of business back home very early in the work and afterward pays exclusive attention to the 300 in the narrow pass. He also crafted the entire relationship between Leonidas and his wife in just a few panels with more simple, brute emotion than anything newly created for the film. The comic is Leonidas' story only. The film is Leonidas' subtle wavering, the Spartan Council, filial relationships in the Spartan ranks, political espionage, and the wife's own home court adventure (which lacked inspiration and ultimately reduced the image of Spartan women rather than improve it). Put it this way: if you're making this film and you *purposely* set out to emulate the comic's look, sequences, emotional heart and intensity as much as possible, would you create from scratch twenty, thirty, or however many interspersed minutes of brand new side story and increase the likelihood of undermining your purpose? Layering an "orc-ish" flair to the enemy legions is fine and fitting, but to invent a wholly new story to staple on drama and/or tension is a poor move (and needless, since the quality is already there and waiting to be delivered from the page to the theater). It adds length rather than substance to this film.
I came into this as a fan of the comic and of Frank Miller. I actively searched for its good qualities. And many will enjoy its visceral, stylized violence (which is well done), and find humor in the terse quotes and the opulent Persians. The film had incredible potential to convey the artistic and emotional mastery of the comic to the big screen. Ultimately I was left with another flashy blockbuster.