Genres

Visitors Review

mario_c 2012-05-24 20:05:58

"Hey, you, what is your profession?"

First of all I must start saying this is NOT a Historic movie but anInspired in History Epic movie! It is, as we all shall know, anadaptation of a Frank Miller's graphic novel inspired in the Greeklegend of the 300 men who fought until death, under King Leonidas'orders, against thousands of Persians. So, as the movie is anadaptation of a graphic novel based on courage and bravery it acts likethat, meaning by other words, it's just an epic movie that illustratesbravery, courage and glory. That's nothing else. It's inspired inhistoric happenings, but it doesn't follow them faithfully, it's notits intention/purpose. If we see the film by this point of view, we will find it pretty good,in spite of not being the best epic movie I've ever seen… In fact, Ithink there are a great number of epic movies, based in history, thatare better than this one. I can remember BREAVEHEART… In my opinion wasbetter than this 300… Anyway, 300 is definitely a good quality epicmovie. On the other hand, what annoyed me the most – and it has nothing to dowith the movie – was some comments, here on IMDb, saying this movie isFascist, based on propaganda, racist, that terrorists and Hitler wouldappreciate it… OH MY GOD! From WHERE came out these people who keepsaying such silly crap?! Let me just ask you something:Is it a violent movie that praises violence, rage, and hate? YES, itis. Is it a movie that discriminates the strong people from the weak,suggesting that the weaker and the disable ones should die to let thestrong live? YES, it is. Is it a movie that proposes us to fight for a cause and die, ifnecessary, to defend it? YES, it is. Is it a movie that worships war instead of peace, ignoring the loss of300 lives, just to claim an ideal of glory and pride? YES, it is. It's ALL TRUE! but HEY you BLIND people just LOOK into HISTORY andsearch for yourselves:if in the Ancient Sparta the children were not educated and militarytrained like the movie describes; if they didn't kill the weakest and disable ones to just maintain thestronger in order to create the best soldiers; If they weren't trained in the worst possible conditions and weren'tready to die for their land! These men were just professional soldiers, born and trained to do justone thing in their lives: fight! They had no other professions likeblacksmith, farmer, pastor – like one scene of the movie clearlyportrays! No, they were warriors, just that! This film is just portraying realistically the ancient Sparta nation,so all those comparisons are absolutely absurd and without any sense.We can't look to the Ancient world with the same moral standards of ourmodern societies. We can't say this film is fascist just because itportrays a social behaviour (truth at that time) that nowadays weconsider absolutely barbaric and salvage! The History is like that, wecannot change it! If we want to do something with historic sense wemust be faithful to it, and not change it just because nowadays it'smorally incorrect!About the terrorist propaganda… another one that makes me laugh! This"western world" in going out crazy about the terrorist issue! If thisfilm was shot just 15 years ago nobody would say it has a terroristmessage! You all are PARANOID with terrorism! Just because it shows usglory becoming from death and suffering, just because it praises thedeath for a cause, it's terrorist propaganda! So did BREAVEHEART, andnobody said it had a terrorist message! Other people say it's propaganda to the US army, because it shows us agigantic force (Persians) crushing a small group of rebellions (theSpartans), and those would be the "terrorists" crushed by the militarypower of the bigger force… What they forgot is that either in Historyas in the movie, that Persian gigantic force (the invaders, just likethe US army!) was defeated by the Greeks (the defenders of their land)– not those 300, but the complete army – so even here the comparisonsare absolutely ridiculous!Now, back to the movie, after all is what really matters! I just lovedthe characterization, especially of the Persians! The King Xerxes(played by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro) and the Persian Immortalsare simply fantastic! They may not be faithful to real history but theyare amazing! As I said in the beginning the characterization mixes the"real" world with a world of fantasy and mysticism used in the graphicnovels… I think the movie was improved by this type of characterizationand fantasy. Definitely, not a brilliant, but a pretty good epic movie!

TheLittleSongbird 2012-05-24 12:06:39

A stylistic triumph, but somewhat lacking

I was interested in seeing 300. After seeing it, did I like it? Sortof. Starting with the good things, it is visually, technically andstylistically amazing with wonderful costumes and sets. The battlesequences are superbly shot and quite realistic, and the music andacting(the protagonist played by Gerard Butler is very charismatic) aredecent, as is the direction. Plus there are some compelling parts inthe story, and the script has its moments. However, 300 is not verywell paced, in fact for me it was quite slow and pedestrian in places,while there are one two many clichés and stereotypes, one or two them Iagree bordered on offensive. Overall, it was an okay film but it didn'twow me. 6/10 Bethany Cox

tabuno 2012-05-21 21:09:11

A Visual Delight But Stereotypical

300 is a spectacular feast for the eyes and the visual animation isoutstanding with a few exceptions. Unfortunately, the emphasis on "KillBill Vol." 1 gore and the "Saving Private Ryan" blood fest whilefascinatingly gross was probably unnecessary compared to "Alexander"though based on a graphic novel, it's not difficult to notice why.Additionally, again the black and white stereotypes make this graphicnovel just that, a perversion of good and bad, the dark Persiansagainst the good Greeks. They are no reality checks in this fantasyversion and the ending is also while martyrdom omits a more interestingpossible ending version that would have been more uplifting. Think ofone spear versus 300 spears. Anyway, the effort put into both theaction and the plot line, character development was commendable thoughmore character relational, slowed pacing would have put this movie onan epic scale instead of the summer blockbuster action scale. Enjoyableand visually stunning but not qualitatively spectacular. Seven out ofTen Stars.

Andy Klein 2012-05-21 10:07:46

...a perfect combination of moral wrongheadedness and inept filmmaking. On any level beyond the pictorial, Snyder makes clunky Cecil B. DeMille epics like The Ten Commandments look positively deft.

brujahonly 2012-05-21 16:15:31

Historical disgrace...

I actually wonder how such a movie could be made in the first place. Iagree it was a good sight but was there anything else? Did Persianslook like orcs or some genetic wonder? And why were all the evilcharacters black? The battle of Thermoplai was an epic battle betweenHellens and Persians indeed but in the movie the battle was foughtbetween US Marine Corps and orcs. It was the worse of its genre.Anyone who would like to see some saw-armed, ten feet tall blob and aleper nation MUST see this movie. Not to mention "war-rhino".CAUTION: This movie is based upon lack of historical truth. For somereal thrill and truth, I'd recommend this book: Gates of Fire/StevenPressfield.SUGGESTION: Do a little history research or at least read the bookgiven above before seeing this movie. And after that, if you are stillhappy with what you saw, than I am happy for you.

asiwsguitar 2012-05-21 01:37:35

Simply amazing!

Let me first begin by addressing the criticisms that this movie hasgotten. I've heard many attack the plot, saying that it isnon-existent. Okay, nothing could be further from the truth. The storyis there, you just have to know what to look for. 300 contains abeautifully epic story about honor, sacrifice and heroism. Thecharacters give their lives for something greater than themselves; thefight for freedom, and the salvation of their people. This movie, by nomeans, possesses a plot line as well written as, say, The ShawshankRedemption, because, unlike that movie, this movie does not hinder onthe story. Also, many people have attacked the historical imperfectionsin the film. Okay, it is based on a comic book, not the actual events.Plus, the point of the movie isn't to be historically accurate, takingall viewpoints into consideration, the point is the story of the 300Spartans, and how they viewed everything. And what is this wholepolitical aspect that everyone is going crazy over? Calling the filmfascist and racist is absurd. The Persians were depicted as the enemyin this film, because they were the enemy! Persia, at this time, wasset on world domination, and expanding their empire to the furthestcorners of the world. To The Spartans, they were an invading force, andto them, the people the movie revolved around, Persia was their enemy.Now, to talk directly about the film, the special effects wereabsolutely breath-taking. Never before have I seen such beauty in afilm. Some of the scenes were so amazing it made me want to cry. Ifnothing else, this movie will win an Oscar for best cinematography.Also, The action scenes were absolutely brutal, I loved every second ofthe violence. This movie is like The Matrix on speed.Basically, this was an amazing film, with an amazing storyline (whetheror not you're intelligent enough to realize it), cutting-edge specialeffects, and enough action and violence to keep you on the edge of yourseat, smiling from ear to ear.300 is definitely a must-see. 11/10

canyoufeelthefear 2012-05-19 12:03:31

A movie on the edge of greatness (SPOILERS)

I went to see this movie the day it came out in my local cinema, today,after seeing the trailer. The trailer for the film made me think thatthe story line would be quite cliché as a small army battlingridiculous numbers is a very common concept, yet the fact it wasconnected to Frank Miiler was enough to grab my interest and the stylelooked good enough to win this over.Anyway, about the film. There were many great aspects of this filmwhich simply weren't used to their full potential. I shall start withthe cons so as to get them out the way. I did not like the wolf storywhich matched the battle strategy of the war a little too much for myliking. One thing that struck me about this film was the rating of thisfilm, which is a "15" here in the UK. I do know certain conditions thatcan be met for this certificate such you can normally get away with aflash of breasts or a particularly saucy sex scene that doesn't showeverything. However, at points in this film I did start to think thatthis was going to become a porno. The oracle's nudity wasunderstandable if not over-elaborate but the the amount of time overallwith nudity did seem excessive. The only other real criticism was theuse of slow-motion. Each individual incident with slow-motion was usedrather well and at just the right time. On the other hand, I believethat it was used far more than necessary. The wave of the first fewPersians is the worse part where there is what seemed like at least 5minutes of normal speed to a slow death to another, to another, toanother, etc....Now for the good points which won back the film for me. I found thatthe musical score was brilliant and suited the genre and the scenesvery well. When we needed to feel the rush of the battle, thats what itdelivered and when we had to feel a sense of despair and loss, we gotthat too. Graphics and all the cgi in this film were fantastic.Absolutely state of the art and really convincing. Apart from thePersian ruler being enlarged, the graphical deaths and beautifulcreatures looked really natural and in sync with the rest of the scene.The story, which as I mentioned before seemed cliché at first glance,work really well for me as it was compelling and kept you thinkingabout how it will really end. And I am glad that there was a moralrather than physical victory.Finally I would like to say this film is well worth a watch if you likeaction films and don't mind a little excessive violence. Probably oneof the best films out so far this year. I am looking forward to seeingmore form Snyder.

Robert Denerstein 2012-05-18 19:35:33

Snyder gives his movie the encompassing look and feel of a graphic novel. Perhaps because he shot the actors in front of digitally concocted backgrounds, Snyder is able to sustain an otherworldly quality that perfectly suits the movie's lurid material.

Staci Layne Wilson 2012-05-17 10:34:51

While the overall look of the movie is quite dissimilar to Frank Miller's Sin City, it's still very much in line with his beautiful artwork. With the help of a heap of CGI, Snyder does an astonishing job of bringing a hyper-reality to believable fruition.

kenhunt472 2012-05-17 01:49:41

Wow Great Movie !!

I thought the movie was great the action was well done and it hadstunning visuals.It had some great performances most notably from theking and the Queen of Sparta. What I don't understand is how you have reviews where people rag on themovie by bringing up historical facts when the movie isn't based onhistorical facts but a GRAPHIC NOVELISTS interpretation of an event inhistory which has been made into a movie.How you could say Persianswere barbaric? well its a fantasy novel ! Next were gonna here peoplecomplaining about Captain America that there were no Nazis that had REDSKULLS !!! Don't let the crazy reviews sway you from going and seeing thismovie.It was great entertainment and is more fantasy than history butis extremely well done and not cartoonish at all.

malyfsborin88 2012-05-13 09:23:27

No words to explain

This is definitely the best movie I have ever seen!!!! I mean thismovie has no down side to it. Everything is made perfect. I say itsdefinitely gonna win the Oscars next year.There are some movies which look good only in their previews but whenyou actually go to the movies to watch it, you cant even make itthrough half of it and you eventually just leave.Even if i watch all of the shows in a day i still would not get tiredof it.Anyways just came from the movies and I'm definitely gonna go to watchit again in IMAX.People who haven't watched it yet please do....trust me you wont bedisappointed.

MaryAnn Johanson 2012-05-13 03:34:22

This is one of those ur-stories that actually feels like a slice of ancient wonder and grandeur...

kidboi 2012-05-10 03:44:33

Awesome, but completely over-hyped.

I just came home from seeing this visually stunning, but somewhatflawed film. I have been hearing so much about this movie, that itpretty much made me sick. Not in any forum could I avoid the buzz about"300". First I was hyped myself, but then people started stating thatit's the best thing that they've ever seen, so I was expecting amasterpiece of modern cinema. How foolish of me. At the end of thefilm, I honestly wanted to scream "That's it!?!?!". There was one forumin particular that over-hyped the movie for me. However, I shouldn'treveal the name of this forum. Don't ask why, I have my reasons.So, about the film. While I was kind of disappointed with the film, onthe way home I started remembering some scenes from it and slowlyrealized how awesome it actually was. It wasn't the great film I wasexpecting in the beginning, but overall, it's extremely entertaining,solidly acted out. It does contain numerous clichés, but then again,how could it not? I have nothing bad to say about the visual part ofthe film. It's just amazing to say the very least. However, I felt thatthe film was just lacking it's own special style. Half of the filmreminded me of "Gladiator" or "The Lord Of The Rings". But still, thiswas just a minor put off.It's also heavily annoying how people tend to rate the film for it'shistorical accuracy(?). This is very unnecessary as this film is pureentertainment and must be viewed as such. This is definitely one of theyear's best blockbusters, probably a contender for the best visualeffects Oscar. If you want amazing visuals, cool battle scenes and moreamazing visuals, go see this film. If you want a historical account onthe battle of Thermopylae, read a book about it and skip this film.

2012-05-09 12:42:11

Unexpected Pleasure

OK....I admit it - I only went to see "300" w/ my husband to be a good sport. [He and our sons are fans/critics of graphic novels, comic book officianados/collectors/commentators who had anxiously awaited the film's release; I am "just" an English/literature educator w/ a love of history and good artistic interpretation of both.] HOWEVER, I was absolutely stunned by this movie. It is captivating, artistic, motivational, and NEVER dull. Of course, Gerard Butler and his army are easy-on-the-eye, but the sheer choreography of this movie throughout makes it worth viewing multiple times. Myriad artistic elements - sensual as well as visual - mesmerize the viewer; many "stand up and cheer" moments prevail - not only during battle, but for the people: brave - STRONG - women ("we bear Spartan warriors") undaunted by formidable foes or standing up for their convictions; men who do not shirk insurmountable odds, death, or facing its prospect; children taught to believe in what their culture holds dear, true, and of moral value. I anticipated the blood baths, but was not put off by them because of the digitalization; the "slo-mo" sequences, with the graphic novel effects, especially complemented the film's genre and delivery; the comic effects were adequate exaggerations without being "comedic" in any way. The whole presentation was a work of art, w/ a masterfully rendered musical score contributing even more to the emotion of each scene - right up to the end...how could you not leave feeling a chord deep inside your soul had been struck? The portrayal of dignity and peace, even in death, was phenomenal.While I do know enough of ancient history to understand there were deviations from the truth, it was opportune that the History Channel chose to air the "real" accounting of events of Thermopylae/the 300 several times during the premiere week, so it was an excellent way to set the record straight in my mind. Nonetheless, I feel the movie's portrayal of these ancient warriors and this particular battle does nothing to diminish the idea that they were noble beyond compare.All that to say that I will purchase the special edition when it's released - for ME...and maybe I'll share it with my husband! :-)

steve_collier21 2012-05-01 05:19:57

Excellent on Blu-Ray

I saw this on hi-definition Blu-Ray disc and probably had a betterexperience than I would have done in a full-scale cinema. The discreproduces the intentions seemingly perfectly - it has a lusciousstrip-cartoon-ish, almost video-game look, and grain, black crush andbronzing of colours are there when they should be. If you take thestory on its own premises then you couldn't fault the visual renditionof it here. The soundtrack is equally good. I listened in DD 5.1. The full surroundis made use of almost constantly and effectively. Low bass is used whenappropriate. One caveat: since the whole thing is processed or colouredin an artificial way in order to convey the spirit of the source, it isimportant to resist the temptation to twiddle with your projector or TVsettings. I'd call it demo material for hi-def across the full AV spectrum,though I wouldn't choose it as the only material because of itsrelatively extreme aesthetic and look. It's a fine example of a filmthat deserves a big screen and full-on AV system to convey its epicscale.

Erik Gloor 2012-04-30 12:32:32

Pretty Pictures, Ugly Message

A Western head of state breaks his own laws and sends an inadequatelysmall but highly-skilled army away from the homeland to battle MiddleEastern jerks and force a military stalemate.But enough about current events.If you were hoping for something a little more uplifting in "300," thesecond cinematic adaptation of a Frank Miller graphic novel, I'm hereto tell you it's pretty much another deep-sea dive into the black Id ofour basest instincts.Yay.First, some quick kudos to those in charge of the visuals in this film:Bravo. Truly. Watching this film was like seeing a Frank Frazettapainting come to life. Gorgeous action sequences. Luscious costumingand set design.But in terms of plot, the film's tone is set early when a diplomat fromthe Persian Empire comes to visit the Spartan King Leonidas to suggestthe Spartans surrender or be invaded. The diplomat's a black guy with alot of freakily jewelry and lip-gloss. Not quite the olive-skinnedGreeks one might imagine, all the Spartans in this movie look as thoughthe cast of "Desperate Housewives" decided to have a toga party. Thecynical symbolism zooms off from there like some kind of Nazipropaganda film.Based on true historical events, King Leonidas proceeds to mobilize theGrecian world against Xerxes I and the Persian Empire by bravelyleading the small fighting force for which the film is named until theyare ultimately overwhelmed by superior numbers. We all certainly owe adebt of gratitude to the real Leonidas for his part in repelling aculture that may have otherwise devoured the very basis for ourdemocratic traditions. Bravo, my brother.But if it's an accurate dramatization of these events in their truehistorical context you're looking for, be prepared to be disappointedbig-time. If you're in the market for a lot of dubious impliedparallels between this ancient struggle and the current state ofrelations between the Judeo-Christian West and the Muslim Middle East,however, you're in for a rare treat.In the present version, King Leonidas responds to the Persian diplomatby killing him and his entire entourage in cold blood. It's okay,though, because the diplomat, as we mentioned, was just some fruityblack guy and the entourage were all dressed like modern-dayterrorists. The parallels being implied stand out in stark relief whenGerard Butler's Leonidas waits for permission from his wife to murderthe diplomat. You could see even the hardest Gulf War vet waiting for anod from the wife to shoot a burglar. But I bet the real King Leonidasdidn't ask his woman if he could declare a war. The willowy LenaHeadley's Queen Gorgo, of course, gives the nod and later cuckolds herhusband to score him some political points. She's clearly a real lady.As security mom simile, she all but drives from one scene to another inan SUV. The comparison couldn't have been more complete if she weresitting in a Spartan Starbucks spouting self-serving tales about thetrials of being a full-time queen while raising an eight-year-oldprince. We naturally never see the horde of slaves the real Queen Gorgocertainly had at her disposal night and day.Like some kinda neo-con suck-up's wet dream, the film proceeds todemonize nearly everyone who isn't a statuesque white guy with reallynice abs. These white guys strut around in cod-pieces and red capeswith their pecks hanging out like some kind of Chippendale chorus linewith spears. Of course with rare exception they annihilate everyone intheir path until they are betrayed by a hideously-deformed warriorwanna-be they wouldn't let in their club.Poor, poor us.Here's a quick reality check:First, Persia eventually became Iran and in 1953 the CIA helpedengineer a coup in which a democratically elected prime minister wasdeposed and a monarch, the Shah of Iran, was installed as the head ofstate and this was all done to protect Western oil interests. NEVERMIND the Crusades.Second, Western-style democracy is on the march all over the face ofthe planet. Even communist China has embraced western-style capitalism.Third, no Muslim state exists which could hope to match America'smilitary or economic might.But gosh, that's no fun, is it? I mean without some big enemyjuggernaut with which to spar, we might actually have to sit down andthink about what to do with the unprecedented peace and wealth all ourforefathers, from Leonidas to Bill Clinton, have bestowed upon us.Should we ensure health care for all? End poverty in our lifetime?Address global warming? Explore the depths of the sea? Build high-speedrail? Go back to the moon? Challenge ourselves to forever raise the barfor all our noblest aspirations?Naaaaaaaaaaaahhhh.Let's demonize everyone who isn't just like us and make them all looklike a pack of corrupt, deformed, homosexual religious fanatics. Let'slump them all in with the rag-tag network of Muslim malcontents thatmanages to slip a bomb by us every now and again.YES!!! I feel so much better, now. I no longer need to worry if my absare the tightest or tannest! I can just align myself with this cabal ofhatred and everything else will just fall into place. Sig Heil!!!If you want to see a good historical drama about courage colliding withpolitics, might I suggest 'Serpico,' 'The Hunt for Red October,' or'All the President's Men.'If you want to see a good movie about dutiful and honorable warriorsrealistically dispatching enemies, I'd recommend 'Gladiator,' 'Glory,'or 'Saving Private Ryan.'As for '300,' the people who crafted this ugly little ball of snotmasquerading as entertainment ought to be sent to walk foot patrolsoutside the Green Zone in Iraq.

DZ 2012-04-25 09:02:30

Action and entertainment are 10/10, content and script are 0/10

When I watched the trailer 0f 300, I was shocked and thought that itwould be an unusual, unconventional and in a good way weird movie. Infact, yes, 300 is very different from many epic movies, but only interms of action and a few shots. Almost the whole movie consists ofperpetual action scenes which is great. To me, this is a very importantstep for action cinema. Alexander the Great, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven,Gladiator, there are much more action in 300 than all these movies.However, the problem that makes 300 very very disappointing is thescript. There are some bizarre details firstly. For instance, blood ofPersians spills in pitch-black. I think that may be, Zack Snyder hadnot wanted to make the movie censored or the movie tries to mentionthat Persians are evil by nature! It is clearly seen that the color ofblood of the Persians in the movie is black! Whatever the reason, itlooks annoying. In addition, the visual effects, especially bloodeffects would have been realistic, but in some parts, the movie lookslike a computer game, visual effects are shockingly superficial and Icannot see any reason for it. Why? How could they release the movielike that? Spartans slaughter Persians while they are half dead, lyingon the ground, screams, begging. While they laugh, a Persian dies. Inanother scene, they shout no mercy, but when a Spartan is killed, thatalters matters, we see some tragic moments, the father crocks up andthe narrator talks poetically. It is extremely clear that Snyderdiscriminates against the other side. Also it causes that we cannotlike Spartans. Personally, I hated them at times and especiallyStelios. The Spartans get angry unduly that is OK, but it seems thatthey slaughter Persians with great pleasure, not because they have todo that. By the way, Persians do nothing like killing or raping thepublic. I confess that I could not feel any compassion or feel sorryfor any Spartan, instead thought the opposite at times, after all thosethat happen. Another issue, Xerxes has a huge army, but The Spartansgive them hell without any real effort or pain. The script writerswould have overcome this big absurdity by thinking a little bit! Forexample, I have a solution. Because of his extreme arrogance, Xerxesdoes not send all his army. He releases small groups to kill TheSpartans, so the three hundred men rout them every time. Then...Something like that. The immortals. I won't ask the question, what doesa mortal immortal mean? However, let's suppose that Xerxes might callhis elite warriors as the immortals because of his haughtiness.Although, they look very interesting and also crawly, when they beginto fight, we see that they are pretty weak and passive. In the fifthminute of the war, they call help. In fact, all the Persians in themovie are like that. They are represented as very weak, untalented andsilly warriors. According to the movie, they do not know exactly how tofight, one Spartan gets on the war area and kills approximately tenPersians at the same time! 300 is a very entertaining movie and verystylish. Some characters are very interesting; The Immortals, Xerxes,the monsters, animals. I watched the war scenes tons of times, eachtime enjoyed, especially the battle with the immortals, it is great,the arrow moments, the first clash at the hot gates etc. but the restis too hard to bear at.

travelducky2 2012-04-24 17:22:34

No surprises

A long time ago, on a continent far, far away, 300 (give or take)Spartans held off the advances of the invading Persian army. They didthis by choosing to make their stand at Thermopylae (the Gates ofFire), which channeled the Persian army into anarrow, more manageableform. The efforts and sacrifices that the real 300 made WERE heroic,selfless, eternal, and all the other larger-than-life concepts thatthis movie is not.That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, cuz I did. It was severalhours of beautiful, well-done, empty distraction, which made meappreciate my home theater setup. It's just a shame that they tooksomething that really IS great, and turned it into something that issatisfied by telling you how great it is. It's a lot like comparing thegreat pyramid of Giza, with the Luxor casino in Vegas. It just feelslike a cheap (while still completely enjoyable) knockoff instead of atribute or homage. Read Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" for thereal(er) thing.

Jim Lawton 2012-04-23 23:03:56

Visually attractive but tedious and inconsistent.

Xerxes and his hordes were brilliantly exotic, but endless scenes ofpeople having their limbs chopped off should be attractive only t thejuvenile game-player.Inconsistency always gets my back up. Leonidas explains to the hunchback how he can't fight because Spartans win by standing in theshield-wall then we see everyone running about completely unprotectedso we can have slo-mo limb-lopping. Spartans are stern and tough, but when Captain whoever's son is killedhe bursts into tears. The mighty hordes of Xerxes have a mighty lot ofarrows, but only shoot them once, for effect.No sorry, it was bollox ... it only gets 3/10 for the visuals.

Bob Bloom 2012-04-23 17:20:51

Ironically, the computer effects make it so clean, so ballet-like, so unrealistic. Battles should be chaotic and messy, not choreographed like an MGM musical.