Good moments, but not enough for 2 hours

Rating: 4/10 (25 November 2015)

"300" is one of the most talked-about and most-honored films of 2006, even if it was not appreciated by the really big awards ceremonies, a bit of a curse that happened many times during director and writer Zack Snyder's career. His movie here tells us the story of Sparta and King Leonidas, who worked as a role model in terms of bravery for many later conquerors. The cast includes many big names, you can check these in the list, but today, almost 10 years later, Michael Fassbender appears probably as the most prominent name. My favorite character, however, was certainly Rodrigo Santoro's Xerxes, who is pretty memorable here thanks to his size and wickedness.
Unfortunately, in terms of the story, I was not convinced particularly. There were some scenes I liked, such as the beginning, everything with Xerxes, the disfigured Gollum look-alike and also Headey's speech and final scene. I may be a bit biased as historic films (except 20th century) are not exactly my preferred choice, especially if they include mostly action and battle scenes like this one. Visually, it's a fine film, but there were several occasions during which it dragged in terms of the story. I may have been more generous with my rating if Snyder had kept it more essential, maybe at 85 minutes. Yes it would have been pretty short, but that's a price I am willing to pay if it turns into a much better film. At almost 2 hours, it lacks focus several times and I cannot recommend it.