Technically good and well cast, but overall disappointing

Rating: 1/10 (10 March 2007)

The direction and editing on the battle scenes is great, the cast is superb, but in my opinion the screenplay and direction are lame.
It seems as the dialog is there just to frame the action and the movie is detached of any emotion. Even the part where the queen consents on being raped by Theron couldn't make me feel a thing. Lena Headey and Domic West try hard, but apparently there was such a hurry to cut back to the battle action that you don't have the chance to have any feelings about it. The scene where the Queen gives a speech to the council, is betrayed by Theron and finally kills him is saved by the good acting. The coins on the floor where a smart idea, but I wonder if that speech was written by Karl Rove.
As expected from a Hollywood movie, this one is extremely dualistic, with Spartans presented as civilized heroes, in contrast to the fanatic, promiscuous and abominable Persians.
Overall, the battle scenes are believable, the military strategies accurate and the figurine and makeup of the Spartans very truthful. Leonidas and his soldiers seem to have jumped directly from an ancient Greek vase.
However, they missed the target on the characterization of the Persians. Rodrigo Santoro is a good actor and does a nice Xerxes, but men from the Persian upper classes wore long crimped wigs and false beards. The Persians clothes and ornaments are also completely inaccurate. I've seen Persian artifacts in museums and I can say that they don't resemble to anything seen on this flick. With so many piercing and chains (not to mention the promiscuity), the Persians look more like revelers from a S&M party.
In addition, Black Persians are something new to me too. The Persian Empire never went beyond Turkey and the Caucasus was in fact in Persia. I didn't expect them to look like Brad Pitt, but I didn't think I would see so many blacks among them either.
Great cinematography and editing! The battle scenes are very well done. The sepia tone of the movie makes the blood look brown and it never spills as it would as a result of a real artery rupture. It looks more like fragments flying through the air and this makes the scenes a little less graphic and more artistic.
Unfortunately, the special effects are inconsistent and although you can't really notice the CGI on the battle scenes, the Rhino and the Elephants are way too big and unrealistic. Who knows perhaps they looked like that in 480 BC.
I don't discriminate hunchbacks, but that orgy was gross and looks like something you would find along with bestiality, child pornography and incest on a website for perverts. It wouldn't have made the final cut, if this movie had a director or a producer.
Was there a composer on this movie?
Overall, 300 is a pretentious action flick. It is technically well done and well acted and I will give it a 5 for that reason.