The film 300 is based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. and directed by Zack Snyder. Xerxes is a powerful Persian king and half-god, who wishes to annex every inch on earth and make all bow before his might and splendour. Spartans are a race, however, that appraise freedom above anything else and refuse to bow to any man. Surrender and subjugation is viewed as weakness and there is no place for weakness among Spartans – be it man or woman or child. It is Spartan law to consult the Mystics on whether or not to go into battle and Spartan King Leonidas is advised not to by the Oracle. He cannot go against what has been decided, but is compelled to fight for the freedom of his people . Therefore, he gathers 300 of Sparta’s best warriors to stall Xerxes’ onslaught and kill as many of his men as possible. But Xerxes’ massive army far outweigh his men in number. It is, surely, a descent into self-destruction.
Let me start off by acknowledging that I have not yet read the graphic novel by Miller and Varley, and therefore, cannot honestly say whether I believe 300 to be a good rendition of it. But according to the Wikipedia the film is a shot-for-shot adaptation of the comic book. And let me get it off my chest that I find it hard to stomach violence these days. It is quite weird, for I am quite open-minded, I’m very liberal and not conservative, yet I find violence superfluous in films as I get older. My husband is a graphic novel lover, and he thought 300 was amazing and that the violence was very comic-book-like. And I admit, I would have expected nothing less from a filmic adaptation of a graphic novel that has integrity. Violence is a key element in graphic novels, and when we heard that 300 has an age restriction of fifteen, we doubted that it would be as dark and bloody as it is supposed to be. But it did not disappoint. 300 definitely has all the ingredients that a graphic novel usually consists of: unapologetic violence, unashamed sex and the most beautifully stylized murals on screen – bereft of colour some times, and laden with colour at others. The cinematography gives a real graphic novel feel and the graphic creatures, décor, make-up and costumes conjure up an amoral universe where myth and reason, love and hate, ugliness and beauty, the sexual and the sensual, coincide. It is, indeed, awesome.
Take my criticism from where it comes – a graphic novel layman: I would certainly raise the age restriction to eighteen and find it quite disturbing how low age restrictions are these days in order to draw as many crowds to the box-office as possible. Pulp Fiction was violent, yes, but I believe it draws an older audience with a more mature mindset which is capable to watch it and not be inclined to go out and shoot someone. 300 draws many impressionable young men and women who might see violence as cool, and that scares me. My only other criticism is that the plot is a bit weak and that their burst of battles get quite monotonous as the film progresses. It is also quite unbelievable that three hundred men can cause such damage to Xerxes’ massive army, but Zack Snyder contends that the “events are 90 percent accurate” and that some world-class historians he showed the movie to “can’t believe it’s as accurate as it is”. But you graphic novel lovers will probably not have the qualms that I do, so go out, watch and enjoy!
Genre: War / Action / History / Fantasy
Running time: 117 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Zack Snyder
Writing credits: Zack Snyder (screenplay)
Kurt Johnstad (screenplay)
Michael Gordon (screenplay)
Frank Miller (graphic novel)
Lynn Varley (graphic novel)
Producers: Gianni Nunnari
Mark Canton
Bernie Goldmann
Jeffrey Silver
Cinematographer: Larry Fong
Editor: William Hoy
Music: Tyler Bates
Distributed by: Warner Brothers
Main Cast:
King Leonidas – Gerard Butler
Queen Gorgo – Lena Headey
Theron – Dominic West
Dilios – David Wenham
Captain – Vincent Regan
Stelios – Michael Fassbender
Astinos – Tom Wisdom
Daxos – Andrew Pleavin
Ephialtes – Andrew Tiernan
Xerxes – Rodrigo Santoro
