300

There are many ways you can view this movie - you can view it from the standpoint I've been trying to view movies like this for ages, trying to compare it with modern scripts. You can also view it from an angle where you demand less from the characters, you only expect it to be massacre after massacre, and all about 'inspirational' speeches, and how everyone is more than hyped up to go to war. I'll try my best to implement all the standpoints.

300 is based on the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan men, led by their King, Leonidas, go to battle against the invading Persian army. The movie is essentially all about the battle, and the way these men approach the battle. They have no fear, they never surrender and they only ever fight for honour. The movie has extremely graphic scenes, where there are endless killing scenes.

In all honesty, after watching the movie, I was left slightly unimpressed by the script. It was filled with one speech after another, and there was no in-between dialogue. Each character goes on and on about the joy of killing, and fighting for their country, and the characters in effect were very one-dimensional.

But after reading up on the history of it all, and looking back on it, maybe the script wasn't so badly written after all.

We must try to accept that the story the movie is trying to tell here is the battle itself, everything else is irrelevant. Put aside what really is Spartan culture, what led them to do the things they do, and all the movie is trying to tell us is that this battle occurred, and how the men felt on the day. And in all honesty, its almost a fair representation of the actual event. How many of us would actually dare to show any weaknesses during a battle or war? How many of us would actually feel subdued? There will be that adrenaline rush through us, and the movie does exactly that. So maybe the what this film has done is probably right. It has actually set the mood of the whole battle.

The special effects in this movie is brilliant. The use of a saturated colour to make the film makes it more believable than if it were made in a naturalistic colour in which it would probably make things look rather comical. Case and point here would be Troy, in which the battle scenes look absolutely ridiculous, and look extremely silly at one point where everyone is just charging at each other - in 300, there is a certain purposefulness about the battles.

The movie might not be the best movie ever made, but it is certainly an eye opener. Its one of the better all-out-old-age-war-movies made, but for me it lacks that certain depth about it that makes you feel as if you're in these men's shoes during battle. Rather, you it from a more 3rd party view, where you think 'why are these men so crazy?'. But nevertheless, it is a rather decent movie despite what many might say.

Rating: 3.7/5

Written by Kevin Lau