“300”
“300” (“Trescientos” in Spanish) seemed as highly anticipated and attended in Panama City as it was in the United States. I waited it out, for some reason not anticipating it, but after a month in Panama and not much change in the films available, I was forced to participate. And it entertained. Blatant, over-the-top, grossly violent, brutally sexual, homo-erotic in its undertones, fantastic in its digital photography, this silly little music video entertained. But it surely didn’t enlighten.
Not that a film has to enlighten. In fact, in reviewing a film I always strive to rate it against what it is trying to achieve, against the rest of the genre. Therefore, if, as a reviewer I don’t appreciate romantic comedies, I can still give one a fair shot, attempting the impossible of disassociating my own biases. But still, a film must be good to receive high marks. Just because it panders does not make it good. And “300” panders. It panders to adolescent boys and it panders to middle-aged men. It makes its movie going experience visceral and modern. Never have we seen enemies so evil, so grotesque. Never have we seen violence so rocking’ so 360’d and slowed down for our appreciation. And never have we seen more noble heroes than the Spartans.
Oh, because, did I mention that “300” is about the infamous Battle of Thermopylae which took place around 460 B.C. between, you guessed it, 300 Spartans and thousands upon thousands of Persians. The Spartans held them off for a few days, five was it (hard to remember, it was so long ago), before finally succumbing. I think that their stalling saved Sparta in the end, thus immortalizing this 300. And Spartans are big on that stuff-death on the battlefield, eternal glory, etc. as the film tells us. It opens quite well by setting up what a Spartan warrior is. It takes us thru a pretty impressive selecting and training process so that we do believe that by the time one has become a Spartan, they are surely capable of killing any other ten men. Our main protagonist is King Leonidas, played by Gerard Butler with an impossible abdomen. He is a wise king, if not a bit aggressive, and when a Persian courier arrives with the message of “stand down or perish” in the face of the conquering Persian armies of many many thousands, he sends the courier to an early grave (is this in accord with the Geneva code?). Politics hold him back from attacking. And religion, as even though he is king, he must answer to the oracles, it is Spartan law, despite the oracles over all despicability. So his plan then is to march off to war with his personal royal guard of three hundred. Against more than ten thousand, or is it one hundred thousand, is this wise? No, but Spartan glory, etc. etc. There is a lot of speech making, and impossible winds, skies, far off looks.
And then the look of the film, which is “Sin City” style but with more color. That means 100% green screen digital photography, probably with a grip holding a fan so they get that wonderful wind blown hair. Can’t do that digitally yet. And it does look wonderful. Everything is wonderful, just too wonderful. It’s so over-stylized, over-dramatized, over-violenced, that it ends up just being sort of ridiculous. No surprise here that the Director Zack Snyder has only one film under his belt (“Dawn of the Dead”) and before that music videos. The story has potential, but as a graphic novel come to life it is just that, something to be pandered to while eating powdered donuts, a fantasy world that couldn’t exist, that we wouldn’t want to exist.
Story: B It is an intriguing historical story.
Acting: B -I suppose this is how they wanted them to act, but constant grandstanding and the vague historical, greek?, accent spoken in English is just becoming too obvious these days. Still
Visuals: B Nice, over-the-top, I suppose if I can support digital photography, it would be here, where you are not trying to pass it off as something else.
Originality/Innovation: C Nope
Enjoyability Grade: B - Depends how much you think about what’s going on here.
Overall Grade: C + Sure, I did say it was entertaining, but just kind of depressing as well.
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