Swords, Sandals and Steroids

Rating: 6/10 (15 July 2008)

The translation of graphic novel to film is a difficult one. The task is made all the more difficult when dealing with some of Frank Miller's less challenging works, of which 300 is one. Let's face it; Shakespeare it ain't. The original work was more about Lynn Varley's art than it was Miller's dialog, anyway, and that's what this film is about as well. Watch it, marvel at it's beauty and it's inventiveness, but don't try and delve too deeply into character studies because you will only be met with frustration and disappointment. Zack Snyder has crafted, essentially, a two-hour music video of which Leonidas and his followers happen to star. That's not a bad thing, entirely. Miller and Varley's original vision splashes to life on-screen in stunning display, with all the gore, monsters and mayhem that have become paramount to Frank Miller's stories. The only reason I walked away disappointed was because these characters had no subtext to them. I connected to them on the most visceral level. Watching soldiers die elicits the same response as watching an antelope be devoured by a lion on Wild Kingdom. It's tragedy without context, and while it's wonderful to look at, it leaves a lot more to be desired for the other senses.