Fans of bloodletting and zealous warfare continue to fill theaters as "300" graces the silver screen. Each unbridled bout of violence in the film instills a wild furor in the audience. The battle sequences build a spirited momentum that captures viewers, leaving them praying for the survival of the 300 Spartans fighting against a grandiose Persian army.
Those who despise excess gore in the form of slow-motion decapitations should take heed of the violent fighting that occurred at the Battle of Thermopylae, 300 Spartans' famous last stand against the Persian army. The clash of these two ancient worlds wrought massive conflict, and the lavish death scenes exemplify the film's achievement: a heavily deranged look back into time when those who wielded swords, shields and spears knew only to protect their country and their honor.
King Leonidas of the Spartans, played by Gerard Butler, refuses the advice of the wise council and the Oracle, who forbid him from going to war with the Persians. The Persians seek control of Sparta and the Greek states and in an effort to avoid war, they bribe certain politicians to hand over their land without conflict.
King Leonidas denies submission and chooses 300 warriors worthy of holding back the Persian army at an area called the Hot Gates. The Hot Gates, a cramped mountainside adjacent to the ocean, serves as the battlefield throughout the movie. The crashing waves and the craggy landscape enhance the film's vivacious atmosphere.
Zack Snyder, the director of "300," shot the film using blue screens. "Sin City" (2005) used similar blue screen technology, and both films have adapted Frank Miller's graphic novels of the same names. Snyder and Robert Rodriguez, director of "Sin City," both share a flair for dynamic film making. Such a talent is necessary in order to translate Miller's magnificently genuine words and images into films that strike nerves just as deep.
"300" tackles the Battle of Thermopylae with a diverse assortment of sordid characters, including deformed monsters and rhinoceroses. The blue screens give Snyder the ability to transform the extravagant images into a mobile exterior world. Snyder, who demonstrated his capability for reinventing otherworldly atmospheres in his remake of the horror classic "Dawn of the Dead" (2004), succeeds in striking a very deep nerve, and how he chooses to do so is one of the film's greatest achievements.
The use of visual effects as gimmicks has reached a climax in the past decade. But "300" has invented an entirely new approach to those gimmicks, setting up a versatile trend that will certainly take advantage of blue screen technology in cinema for years to come. The director and his cinematographer, Larry Fong, effortlessly blend lens flare, contrast between light and dark and slow-motion while shifting between scenes of warfare and the resulting conflicts back home in Sparta.
The characters, if somewhat clich?©d because we have seen so many films about ancient war already (i.e. "Troy" (2004) and "Alexander" (2004)), transmit either sincere hatred or genuine honor. The Spartans' glorious abhorrence of the Persian Empire's greed stands strong against the hostility of Xerxes, king of the Persian Empire, and his shameless followers.
Butler channels fury into the Spartans' honor as they push their shields against thousands of oncoming enemies. His loud, angry tirades establish hope in his men and simultaneously provoke the primal urge to protect what is theirs. While Leonidas speaks to his men about valiance and honor, those in the audience are compelled to wonder if they are ready to do the same to protect the things most loved in this world.
Xerxes, played by Rodrigo Santoro, proclaims himself as a god among men. His insanity and debauchery may reach to the extremes of human greed in many scenes, but by achieving the extremes of each aspect of Miller's graphic novel, the characters reach a breathtaking zenith.
The story of the 300 Spartans' last stand portrays the Battle of Thermopylae with a fascination for warfare in the most bizarre circumstances. That fascination for scenery and human emotion in dire situations remains as morbid as it is gorgeous. It will go down in history as an important film, but as of now, "300" is something that will rivet and fascinate anyone who doesn't mind a few grand deaths for the sake of Spartan glory.
