Visually thrilling adaption to Frank Millar's graphic novel

Rating: 8/10 (7 August 2015)

Based on the graphic novel by Frank Millar, 300 follows King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler), who leads an army of 300 Greek soldiers to fight in war against the Persian army, thousand times their size. The film, as well as the novel, takes place during the Battle of Arthemis and Battle of Salamis which took place in 480 B.C. Zack Snyder, who would later go on to direct superhero flicks such as Watchmen (2009) and Man of Steel (2013) bring the artistic style from the graphic novel and brings it to life with amazing visual effects and a compelling story.
Let's start by saying Gerald Butler delivers an incredible performance as Leonidas and really brings the life and energy to the character. I would say it's an Oscar worthy performance by him. The story is also pretty compelling as it follows the main character as he leads an army of hundreds of soldiers against an army they are overwhelmingly outnumbered by, and the story carries on quite well. What really stands out however, is the amazing battle sequences. From the second the soldiers wield their sword and shield, we are treated with flashy comic book-styled sword-on-sword action with some slow motion shots of soldiers getting slashed, stabbed, and dismembered with CGI blood spray. The first battle between the Greek and the Persian soldiers can easy be considered as one of the greatest battles ever put together in a movie. The battle against the giant ogre is also pretty stunning as well.
300 maybe the best film by Director Zack Snyder and the best role by Gerard Butler. This action epic sets a prime example of how to adapt a graphic novel by Frank Millar into a entertaining thrill ride.