Hyper-stylised ancient battles in a gem of action cinema

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2015)

Many critics have criticised this movie, because it's not "historically accurate". They're missing the point. 300 is NOT supposed to represent the ancient Battle of Thermopylae – instead, it's supposed to represent the 5-part comic book, released by SIN CITY creator Frank Miller in 1998. I've read the comic, and I'm delighted to say that 300 is utterly faithful to the storyline depicted therein, which is basically the historical story with added fantastical touches and plenty of coolness.
I'm a huge, huge fan of ancient warfare so I came to see this film with great expectations. All of them were fulfilled. 300 is a testosterone-packed movie with plenty to recommend it. 90% of the film was shot with green-screen backgrounds, so that the majority of backdrops and locations in the film are computer generated. They look fantastic; far from realistic, but beautiful all the same.
While the story of the film – fighting, corruption, betrayal ad infinitum – is simplistic and the scenes taking place at the royal court very much par for the course, where this movie really excels is in the battle scenes. The fights are plentiful and superbly staged. Nowhere else have I got a better idea of what it was like fighting on the front line than I have by watching this film. Hyper-stylised by director Zack Snyder (who previously directed the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake), the various battles are full of originality and very gruesome – just the way we like them. CGI blood splatters across the screen, limbs fly in slow motion through the air, and every male viewer will be whooping with delight.
The cast members are pretty good. Gerard Butler and co. might not look or sound like ancient Greeks, but they seem to be born fighters and their perfectly-sculpted bodies give the movie an added dimension that recalls the look of the old sword and sandal movies of the '50s and '60s. Butler nabs all of the best lines and enjoys some wonderful shouty bits – "This is Sparta!" etc., all stirring stuff. Vincent Regan is very good as his loyal, emotional captain and David Wenham (LORD OF THE RINGS) reminds us that his presence in fantastic epics is a given. The rest of the cast is also decent, whether it's Rodrigo Santoro's creepy Persian king Xerxes or Lena Headey's headstrong queen.
And so back to the battles, which take up roughly half of the movie's running time. We get Spartans battling Persians, as well as assorted creatures like elephants and a rhinoceros. The ninja-clad Immortals prove to be entertaining opponents and the movie benefits from plenty of grimness, like the wall of bodies built up by the heroes. My favourite scene by far is where Leonidas battles the massive giant, who seems to be as immortal as he is. The central theme of the movie concentrates on what it means to be a hero and the inevitable conclusion is moving while at the same time fittingly heroic. All in all, this is a wonderful battle film that works on many levels and is sure to go down as a minor classic.