Wednesday, March 14, 2007

300

New review from CBG

300

As a former comic book store manager, I love all things comic related. Except maybe Ghost Rider. Oh, and Daredevil, and could Elektra suck any more? Anyways - 300 is based on a graphic novel (that's a big splashy comic book for those of you who haven't seen a comic book since you were a kid) by Frank Miller, who was also responsible for Sin City. And since I love all things comic, I must love this movie, too. And I do. It tells the story of 300 Spartans, led by King Leionidas, who stand against the massive Persian army at the battle of Thermopylae. This movie has all the elements that make for great film. Action. Violence. Special Effects. Sex. What more do you need? And since we're on those subjects, let me briefly discuss each.

Action: The movie is pretty much nonstop. Clocking in at 1 hour 57 minutes, it moves at a pretty swift pace and there's enough going on that even when it's slow (exposition, character development, etc.) it moves pretty quickly. You won't be glancing at your watch as your eyes will be glued to the big screen and all that...

Violence: If you've seen the comic, this movie is practically a verbatim translation of the comic's graphic images to the big screen. And this movie is graphic. Hacked limbs. Severed heads. The bodies pile up (literally). The tag line "Prepare for Glory" might as well be "Prepare for Gory." The combat sequences are unbelievable and will keep your interest, especially because of the...

Special Effects: I've got to believe every shot is an effects shot. The computer graphics enhance every single frame of the film which help it capture the look and feel of the original material. It is a cornucopia of visual artistry. Yes, it's over the top but isn't that what you go to the movies for? Certainly, it's not for the...

Sex: there's only a few minutes devoted to love and lust but the whole film is steeped in homo-erotic machismo. I mean, you've got a bunch of super buff guys hanging around in bikini bottoms and capes. Need I say more? Oh, and wait till you catch a glimpse of Xerses, the Persian King.

So all in all, an awesome movie. But as I left the theatre, I started to wonder. This film glorifies war and violence. It pits western values (yeah, the Spartans were all about democracy and freedom - right) against the inhuman barbarian hordes of Persia (I think it's called Iran now) in a struggle for survival. Is this some piece of right wing propaganda designed to get me fired up? Is Big Brother watching me? Wait a second.... what am I talking about? This is just a movie. And what a movie it is. Go check it out. It won't be the same on DVD.

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