A great action flick that is comparable in entertainment level to Gladiator

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2007)

This movie was very entertaining to watch because it was visually stunning. It is rare to find a movie that makes so much out of color schemes and can take suspension of disbelief to a new level by fantastically expanding on a real story.
First of all though, lets clear up some misunderstandings-this movie is not political. This is a fantasy flick-a movie that creates its own mythological tale around real historical events. I will not view this as political because there isn't anything political there unless you dig for it and try to make it be there.
The story in this movie really isn't anything that was too deep, and the secondary character development was relatively poor overall. A lot of the characters seemed soul-less in parts of the movie, which is good in a way because it painted a good view of Spartan culture. The distinguishing aspect of this movie was the cinematography. The battle scenes (most of the movie) are astoundingly well done. I was on the edge of my seat with every sword swing, and the slow-motion usage emphasized the fantastic aspects of the characters in the movie. Leonidas seems like Russell Crowe in Gladiator, and since most of the movie is about men on a Greek battlefield, I felt it wasn't much of a stretch to draw a comparison between this and Gladiator (I know that movie is Roman, don't write me emails).
This movie is a work of art. When you analyze a painting you look at the texture of the artwork primarily and then search for the deeper meaning. Thats how you have to analyze this movie-and nothing has been made like this before. This movie creates a myth-a fantastic, amazing myth-and because of that it is revolutionary.