Fantasy, especially the blood and sand epics, can be great entertainment, but "300" is fantasy posing as history. The true story of the 300 Spartans is easily one of the most incredible events in all of ancient history. If this had been an original story, I may have been more receptive. The script is so watered down and the characters so cardboard cutout, I heard titters in the audience at the dialog. On the other hand, I found many of the images so amazing and compelling that they deserve being called works of art. I found it silly, maybe it was just pandering to dim bulb adolescent boys, when the dialog dismissed the Athenians as boy loving philosophers, while totally ignoring the historical fact that the Spartan army depended on homosexual bonding between warriors, so that each man was fighting for his loved one at his side. Other distortions and omissions are that the oracle had predicted Greece would be saved by its wall of wood, which was the Athenian naval ships. The 300 Spartans great success was to buy time for the Athenians to build up its navy which ultimately defeated and drove back the Persians. Totally unclear was the reason behind the Spartan army not marching off immediately to attack Xerxes which was that Spartans would not violate their laws of religious observance which forbade warfare during those observances. If all of this is to be discounted as artistic license, I think their license ought to be revoked. This kind of virtual studio comic book movie making has real possibilities in store for us, but like any kind of great film-making there has to be a great script from which to start.
300
(2006)
Many amazing, gallery worthy images, but the storyline is amazingly lame, sorry.
8 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers