300 (15)

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Time Out says

Tue Mar 20 2007

Taking its cue from Frank Miller’s comic-book version of Greek history rather than the 1962 vintage swords-and-sandals epic ‘The 300 Spartans’, the latest Hollywood take on the heroics of Thermopylae brings us Gerard Butler’s hammy Scots-accented Spartan king Leonidas in an all-encompassing wash of computer-tooled blood-letting. In principle, it’s a great tale of derring-do, as vastly out-numbered Spartan warriors defend a mountain pass against the mighty Persian army, but Zack Snyder’s movie in no way does justice to it. What should be a thrilling saga of triumph over the odds becomes a yawn-inducing cavalcade of carnage as wave after wave – after wave, after wave – of the enemy lines up to be slashed, gashed, chopped, spiked, speared and generally mushed. Ho bloody hum.

Any ideological connotations to the fact we’re supposed to be cheering on the white guys as they scythe their way through turban-wearing Persian hordes? Hard to credit the picture with that much relevance, though it’ll doubtless be huge in US Army camps. And speaking of camp… Since it’s positively tumescent with macho posturing and somewhat bereft of humour, the film’s an absolute riot of ambiguous sexual signage. The buffed-up Spartans, for instance, go into battle wearing leather posing-pouches and little else, as they try to lure their foes into a narrow passage called the ‘Gates of Hell’, while Rodrigo Santoro’s Persian leader Xerxes delivers a queeny strop-fest pitched somewhere between RuPaul and Ming the Merciless. It might have been one of the great all-time mad, bad movies but for one thing – it’s just sooo boring.

Author: Trevor Johnston

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Fri Mar 23 2007

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117 mins

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(7 ratings)

it's funny because it's meant to be completely over the top. the cinematography is absolutely stunning. technically brilliant if somewhat lapse when it comes to plot. its a re-envisioning of a comic book so can you really accuse this of being an inaccurate homage to the original subject matter?!

SPLURB Tue Dec 8 2009
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This is the best demonstration of the Spartan Phylanx ever filmed. Excellent battle scenes. The director used some creative license to try to convey how the Spartans would have viewed the Persions, ie. the Immortals did not really wear masks. Read Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield for the best book on this epic battle. This move rocks. If you like action, you'll love 300.

Jeff Mon Dec 7 2009
Rated as: 5/5
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600 nipples, men nipples, does not make a good film. The poor acting did nothing to arouse my... senses, yes, my senses. Beforehead I continue I want you to know I hate life and men; and this film had both - but luckily the death side appealed to my teenage angst. I am an emo; but one with style. Luckily the film appealed to my teenage cynicism, but on that note. I love you all equally, especially the guys. Will Rothery - Max Cartwright. "DEATH TO CALLUM"

Will Rothery Wed Sep 17 2008
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Comic book to screen adaptations don't always work,but I felt this did.If people liked 'Rome' they'll like this.This has only one female,Leonidas's wife the Queen,who although feminine is a match for the matcho men.The subject matter lacks subtlety because it is a warrior culture,but it makes up for this in the powerful visuals.I was pleasantly surprised by the vigour,energy and panache of the storytelling.There was a cartoon element in the violence,squirts and dollops of blood-letting,but due to the stylization of the graphics it was justified.There was obviously an attempt at the ideology against the Asian hordes to run in parallel with the West's war against terrorism but you can ignore that.Suffice it to say the Greeks were at the formation of our civilized values fighting vs oriental despotisms.Although the depiction at times veered close to camp unintentionally,I felt it kept just this side of it well.With such an important historical event it is worth retelling in new ways.Here it takes on the character of myth.

Technoguy Tue Jan 1 2008
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good film

Will Thu Dec 13 2007
Rated as: 5/5
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it is the best battle film i have ever seen

sean hill Thu Oct 11 2007
Rated as: 5/5
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Watching this film on DVD at home quite honestly leaves a lot to be desired, the quality of scene is poor, the matrix effect is over-done and the script most-times is lacking. Since Lord of the Rings just about everyone has attempted historical fiction, fact or a combination of the two and in many cases the have failed miserably. The comparisons of scene with 'Gladiator' and the 'Matrix' is often hard to bear. It appears to be a movie for those both historical uninterested and dramatically challenged. Personally I thought it was not to the standard of recent attempts of the same.

F.M. Hynds Sun Sep 30 2007
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'300'=000 As the Fench so appropriately like to put it, it is fortunate that ridiculousness doesn't kill, because in the case of this on-screen garbage, the Americans would have had time to die at least 300 times...

yduric Tue Aug 28 2007
Rated as: 1/5
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Awsome movie, just got my Spartan Bust Roman Statue from www.neo-mfg.com hope they do more movies of this style in the future.

drew_ti Mon Aug 27 2007
Rated as: 5/5
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Great movie, blood and gore is overdone a little bit from time to time but still a great movie.

Jimmy Sat Aug 25 2007
Rated as: 5/5
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300 (15)

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