A striking visual feast and stunning audio experience...

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2007)

No, I wasn't expecting "depth" to the characters nor was I expecting to see a documentary about the famous battle at Thermopylae--and perhaps that's why I can happily state that I was caught up in the frenzy and excitement and visual splendor of 300 from the opening scene to the touching ending.
King Leonidas (brilliant performance by GERARD BUTLER), is the Spartan King who must send his brave warriors to fight the huge Persian army. Butler is certainly not one-dimensional in the role, which is what would have happened in the hands of a less talented actor. He found many facets that humanize this ferocious King with an appetite for battle and he makes the most of his every moment on screen. The eye is drawn to him like a magnet, even in group scenes where his commanding presence dominates the action or the talk. Snyder certainly lucked out in finding exactly the right man for the role. In many close-ups he reminds me of the classic screen star ROBERT TAYLOR (think "Ivanhoe").
And others around him are fine too. LEONA HEADEY makes an interesting, spirited Spartan Queen, with a beautiful face and a lovely commanding presence of her own. She's especially good in her scenes with the conniving DOMINIC WEST, as the two argue over sending a larger army against the Persian hordes. Their final confrontation is a shocker.
Visually, the film is an artistic achievement that makes stunning use of the CGI and blending it with the studio shots in a way that resembles murals and famous works of art. This is one aspect of the film that is easily guaranteed to earn Oscar nominations in technical categories.
Butler's command of the screen is more evident here than in any other film to date, including his work in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. No doubt this will be an iconic role for him.
Only drawback, at least in the theater I attended, is the sound mix of music and dialog could have been improved to the point where the spoken words are not drowned out by the relentless (but fascinating) background score, which tends to milk every melodramatic moment to the max.
The battle scenes are well staged and I never found the use of slow motion distracting or inappropriate. Snyder has done a fantastic job.