First Class Action

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2007)

When I first saw the trailer for 300 I could tell that it was going to be a good action movie, just from the short clips. But nothing can prepare you for the mind blowing experience of seeing it in the cinema. With the whole film being shot on green screen it was quite easy (even with a large budget) to make the background and scenery seem too 'gamey'. Obviously with Frank Miller's input the film was meant to have a certain 'comic-style' feel to it and it was supposed to be very bloody and 'over the top'... but its perfectly over the top. The balance between real and surreal is just right, the Spartans are fantastic fighters but they are not invincible, the scenery is encapsulating but it is not completely fictitious. In my mind a good action film has to be its best in the cinema, that is where 300 comes into its own, it blows you away with the spanning shots and the close up fight scenes. The element of 'comic book physics' means that even thought all the movements aren't realistic.. it doesn't matter because you know they're not supposed to be, giving the overall sense of 'not quite mortal'. 300 cannot be compared to most other action films, because it is in a different league, its one of a kind...well..two if you count Sin City... and its brilliant!