Comic book on the big screen

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2007)

The comic book generation invades another film genre - this time, the historical epic. I had a fairly good time with '300'; I loved the super-charged fight scenes, enjoyed the painterly backdrops, and thought the royal couple (Butler and Headey) were superb. This could, and should, have been a classic.
The problem here is Frank Miller. Filmmakers seem to worship every pixel of his graphic novels, which is fine, but, translating those words and images to the big screen puts them under greater scrutiny. Do they pass muster? Yes and no. The visuals are punchy and dramatic; many scenes have jaw-dropping lighting and colour. The Spartans look great.
But this is as much a historical film as Lord of the Rings, the obvious inspiration for many of the freaks, monsters and downright fantastical elements on display here. Was the battle of Thermopylae not impressive enough without introducing fantasy? Of course it was. It was the greatest last stand in history. Those embellishments are silly, and rob the movie of any depth it might have had. Miller's freak show might have worked on the page, but I groaned every time a Persian "orc" warrior, a Quasimodo, or a nine foot tall god-king appeared on screen.
And Miller's dialogue is embarrassing. These are some of the corniest exchanges of the year. The mantra seems to be: if it works in a comic, it must work on screen. Compare this script to Braveheart's, Spartacus's or, better still, Zulu's (an infinitely better film about a last stand) and '300' is instantly juvenile.
Whatever Snyder would have you believe, '300' is a movie directed by a comic book, filtered through a video game. If it weren't for Butler and Headey, this would be an utterly lifeless experience. Come on, filmmakers, if you have to film a comic, adapt it, give it some depth. Don't just let an artist's imagination run rampant.
Overall verdict: fun but daft.