Frank Miller’s 300.  A fantastic action film, based upon an epic battle of Greek history between the Persians and Greeks.

     Going into the theatre, I was told to expect a mix of Gladiator and Sin City. I was not disappointed. The action sequences definitely smacked of Sin City in that the violence was restrained and yet very visceral. The plot line, although not without its holes, was similar in tone and pacing to Gladiator. Although it was in constant motion, the was a deliberate, slow pacing that allowed the viewer to enjoy the story without feeling rushed or lost.

     The visual effects were spectacular. The endless hordes of the Persian army did not appear to be carbon-copy images and even the more outrageous and unbelievable CGI creations felt life-like enough that they did not distract from the film in any large manner. The camera effects used were a little reminiscent of The Matrix and its overuse of Bullet Time, but on the whole the effect served more to emphasize important points in the flow of battle, as opposed to a way to demonstrate unbelievable speed or skill. I never noticed any of the “blood on the camera” effects that seem to be the en vogue method of drawing the viewer into the film, which I found both refreshing and impressive considering the scope of some of the action sequences.

     The score was a nice combination of orchestral and driving rock music that followed the films direction and pacing excellently. The rise and ebb of the tension and action in the film was mirrored by the score, which can be best compared to the score from the original Star Wars films. Many action films have a generic musical counterpoint, or even worse, borrow from modern radio to grab the attention of the follow-the-leader crowd.

     Some critics have panned the film as being an orgy of senseless violence with one-sided characters. I found that the lack of depth in the individual characters to be a boon to the film as a whole- instead, the small things about each character help to define their people as a whole, and the film is really more about the three hundred versus the Persians than it is about Leonidis verses Xerxes. As far as the “senseless violence” is concerned, I feel that anyone walking into a film about a war between two ancient, sovereign populations should expect it to be violent. It shouldn’t be a film with flowers and puppies and ponies and small children frolicking in the fields- it should contain people losing limbs to sharp blades, there should be arterial spray, and for the love of all that the gods of film hold dear, there had better be at least one decapitation.

     As an entire piece, the film was magnificent. There have been very few films recently that really screamed out “Watch me in the theatre!” but 300 definitely proved worth the ever-rising ticket price of the “new” movie going experience.