Knuckle-headed entertainment

Rating: 4/10 (1 April 2010)

If I were to rate this movie for its intelligence, I'd give it a 1. The dialogue is cookie-cutter, overwrought and insipid. The performances are largely one-note and the constant pounding of the theme that war is great, war is glorious, and violence is bloodless gets pretty annoying after a while.
I'm not a stickler for historical accuracy --- I'd rather that the movie be entertaining. However, 300 has almost no basis in reality and clings to its comic-book origins with melodramatic ferocity. Its think level is close to zero.
Having said all that, this is still an entertaining and visually dazzling action film, with an eerie, otherworldly look that is oddly captivating. Gerald Butler and Harry Hamlin do all that can be asked of an actor (I'd say Hamlin's performance here is more convincing than his Perseus in CLASH OF THE TITANS, but that's not saying much).
Based on its entertainment level, I give this a six, which offsets the annoyance of listening to all the pompous chest-beating and infantile dialogue.
For my money, the original film, THE 300 SPARTANS, is a much more interesting picture. At least it gives you some idea of what actually happened (according to Herodotus, anyway) and it doesn't take itself so doggone seriously. Watching 300 is like being in Basic Training with a Marine drill instructor screaming at you.