Not the Messiah

Rating: 7/10 (27 April 2007)

The hype was mounting in the months leading up to the release of 300, the film adaptation of Frank Miller's (Sin City) graphic novel of the same name. Even following the release, the publicity kept rolling. It was virtually impossible to go anywhere without hearing people praise the movie. Never skeptical, but always vigilant, I brought my critical eye to the theater to put 300 to the test.
The film tells the tale of the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta and its impending decline at the hands of the Persian Empire. After being called to kneel before Persian King Xerxes, Spartan King Leonidas calls on the Ephors, Sparta's executive council, to send the army to war. Corrupted by Persian gold, the Ephors decline, forcing Leonidas to build his own small army of 300 men to take on the vast thousands of Persians.
As was expected, the battle scenes were extremely well done. The cinematography was fresh and stylish, but the editing was very subtle, straying from the modern technique of short shots and quick cuts. This greatly improved the look of the film, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in each shot.
Narration is a wonderful tool in film-making; it allows the director to show and tell simultaneously. 300 is a fine example of how narration can be used to detract from the story. Narration was necessary for this story, but it was poorly executed. There were several cases where the narration described the action on the screen. The viewer does not need to be told what they are seeing, especially when it is something as easily understood as an adolescent Leonidas fighting a wolf.
Simply stated, 300 is not the Jesus Christ of modern cinema. Though beautifully shot and edited, the film fails to deliver much more substance than the standard Hollywood gore-fest.