I think with
300, it is safe to say that not only can movies be based on comic books, but they can be almost literal recreations of them. Even though I have never seen a single panel of the original source material by Frank Miller (
Sin City), there were many moments watching the film I found myself noticing that the staging, art design, and style of a scene resembled that of a piece of art. This is a visually stunning movie, and although the story and the screenplay never quite match the splendor of what I was seeing, it never bothered me. Director Zack Snyder (2004's
Dawn of the Dead remake) has not just given us an adaptation of a comic, but a living world with all the style and atmosphere that could only come from the imaginative world of graphic novels.
The story is more or less a fantasy spin on a point of history, specifically the Battle of Thermopylae set in 480 B.C. Proud Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) receives news that a massive army of Persians, led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santora) are on an invasion campaign, and are quickly advancing toward his kingdom. Rather than surrender to the seemingly invincible army, Leonidas goes against the orders of his own Council and others around him, and decides to stand his ground against the invading forces. With a small but loyal army of only 300 men, Leonidas plans to claim victory with clever battle tactics that will make the Persian army's vast numbers futile. Back at home, his loving wife Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) must deal with a traitorous Spartan (Dominic West) who may be trying to turn the people's opinion against her husband's cause for fighting.
I honestly do not think there was much more to the plot of
300, nor do I think there was supposed to be. This movie is literally a high energy action film crossed with the ferocious fast-paced action of a video game. And yes, I do mean that as a complement. Though the film runs for nearly two hours, it keeps itself at such a continuous charge, hardly taking time to look back, that we barely have time to catch our breaths, let alone notice how much time has passed. This is a movie made up almost entirely out of money shots, and you can definitely see where all the money went into right there on the screen. The film was shot almost entirely with the actors in front of green screens, with the backgrounds and special effects being added later. The locales that the characters fight in look like nothing of this world, and could never be created on a studio soundstage. The colors are faded and somewhat washed out, but not dull. They are appropriate in this case and add an almost dream-like atmosphere to the story being told and to the world it's set in. The effects work is not quite perfect in one way, however. Much of the blood that is shed on the field of battle is done with computers, and I found it strange that most of this blood never wound up on any of the human actors engaged in battle. It's simply computerized blood flying at the camera in generous globs for the delight of gore hounds in the audience. Aside from this, the look of the film is just about perfect, and adds the right amount of atmosphere. The film itself is actually a story being told to a group of people by someone else. The dreamlike visuals and vibrant fantasy settings help add to the sense that we are being told an epic tale that could never happen in our time.
I am proud to say that it is more than the visuals and the world itself that makes
300 stand out. The movie is constantly exciting with numerous action sequences that are not only exciting, but are well-edited - a rare thing in today's industry where spastic camera work and quick editing cuts seem to be the norm. Snyder keeps a close reign on the action so that it is fantastic, but never bombastic and overpowering. Countless waves of men attack one another, massive elephants charge across the battlefield, waves crash, bodies fall, and more than one head becomes removed from its proper place above the neck. With many of the soldiers dressed in the same uniforms, I was at first worried that the action would be too frantic to tell just who was who. Much to my surprise, I never had this problem. The battles are furious and epic in stature, but the movie knows how to stage them in such a way so that they are never confusing. This is a good thing, since I'd say 70% of the film's running time is set on the battlefield. The battles play host to some of the film's most memorable images, such as the storm of arrows falling from the sky that literally eclipse the light of the sun, or an army of men being pushed to the edge of a cliff, toppling down into the raging waters below. The movie is constantly finding new ways to excite or thrill us visually, and if the script itself were just as spectacular, we'd really have something here.
Unfortunately, we don't have something here in this department.
300 is a wonder to look at and a lot of fun all around, but falls short of the mark thanks to its screenplay that is about as deep as a puddle. Characters are sketchy at best, and bellow all of their lines with operatic chest-thumping glee. Half of the dialogue is yelled or spoken in a hushed dramatic whisper. It certainly doesn't help that a lot of the dialogue is ham-fisted to the point of being unintentionally comical at times. As King Leonidas, Gerard Butler is a commanding presence, but not much more than that. Good thing his character is not really required to do much more than be strong on the battlefield. Other than a few quiet moments early on, Butler does not get to show much range as the Spartan ruler. At least he's in good company, as everyone else seems to be following the same direction. There's not one single moment that could be described as subtle, but the performances do fit the tone of the movie. The filmmakers were obviously not trying for dialogue-heavy exchanges here, and went for an action speaks louder than words approach. Since the words are a letdown, we should be grateful that the action is so memorable.
300 may be total junk food for the mind, but it is a full course meal for the eyes and the senses. That sentence alone should let you know whether or not this movie is for you. I think it deserves to be seen, but it's not exactly a movie I'd recommend to everyone. Anyone interested in visual effects or graphic novels are sure to be in their environment. Those looking for something deeper or a historical retelling of a very violent time in history would be better off sticking to their books on the actual subject. I may not have been emotionally moved or inspired, but I walked out of the theater with a dumb grin on my face. That's all that
300 asks of us in the end.
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I think with 300, it is safe to say that not only can movies be based on comic books, but they can be almost literal recreations of them. Even though I have never seen a single panel of the original source material by Frank Miller (Sin City), there were many moments watching the film I found myself noticing that the staging, art design, and style of a scene resembled that of a piece of art. This is a visually stunning movie, and although the story and the screenplay never quite match the splendor of what I was seeing, it never bothered me. Director Zack Snyder (2004's Dawn of the Dead remake) has not just given us an adaptation of a comic, but a living world with all the style and atmosphere that could only come from the imaginative world of graphic novels.
The story is more or less a fantasy spin on a point of history, specifically the Battle of Thermopylae set in 480 B.C. Proud Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) receives news that a massive army of Persians, led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santora) are on an invasion campaign, and are quickly advancing toward his kingdom. Rather than surrender to the seemingly invincible army, Leonidas goes against the orders of his own Council and others around him, and decides to stand his ground against the invading forces. With a small but loyal army of only 300 men, Leonidas plans to claim victory with clever battle tactics that will make the Persian army's vast numbers futile. Back at home, his loving wife Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) must deal with a traitorous Spartan (Dominic West) who may be trying to turn the people's opinion against her husband's cause for fighting.
I honestly do not think there was much more to the plot of 300, nor do I think there was supposed to be. This movie is literally a high energy action film crossed with the ferocious fast-paced action of a video game. And yes, I do mean that as a complement. Though the film runs for nearly two hours, it keeps itself at such a continuous charge, hardly taking time to look back, that we barely have time to catch our breaths, let alone notice how much time has passed. This is a movie made up almost entirely out of money shots, and you can definitely see where all the money went into right there on the screen. The film was shot almost entirely with the actors in front of green screens, with the backgrounds and special effects being added later. The locales that the characters fight in look like nothing of this world, and could never be created on a studio soundstage. The colors are faded and somewhat washed out, but not dull. They are appropriate in this case and add an almost dream-like atmosphere to the story being told and to the world it's set in. The effects work is not quite perfect in one way, however. Much of the blood that is shed on the field of battle is done with computers, and I found it strange that most of this blood never wound up on any of the human actors engaged in battle. It's simply computerized blood flying at the camera in generous globs for the delight of gore hounds in the audience. Aside from this, the look of the film is just about perfect, and adds the right amount of atmosphere. The film itself is actually a story being told to a group of people by someone else. The dreamlike visuals and vibrant fantasy settings help add to the sense that we are being told an epic tale that could never happen in our time.
I am proud to say that it is more than the visuals and the world itself that makes 300 stand out. The movie is constantly exciting with numerous action sequences that are not only exciting, but are well-edited - a rare thing in today's industry where spastic camera work and quick editing cuts seem to be the norm. Snyder keeps a close reign on the action so that it is fantastic, but never bombastic and overpowering. Countless waves of men attack one another, massive elephants charge across the battlefield, waves crash, bodies fall, and more than one head becomes removed from its proper place above the neck. With many of the soldiers dressed in the same uniforms, I was at first worried that the action would be too frantic to tell just who was who. Much to my surprise, I never had this problem. The battles are furious and epic in stature, but the movie knows how to stage them in such a way so that they are never confusing. This is a good thing, since I'd say 70% of the film's running time is set on the battlefield. The battles play host to some of the film's most memorable images, such as the storm of arrows falling from the sky that literally eclipse the light of the sun, or an army of men being pushed to the edge of a cliff, toppling down into the raging waters below. The movie is constantly finding new ways to excite or thrill us visually, and if the script itself were just as spectacular, we'd really have something here.
Unfortunately, we don't have something here in this department. 300 is a wonder to look at and a lot of fun all around, but falls short of the mark thanks to its screenplay that is about as deep as a puddle. Characters are sketchy at best, and bellow all of their lines with operatic chest-thumping glee. Half of the dialogue is yelled or spoken in a hushed dramatic whisper. It certainly doesn't help that a lot of the dialogue is ham-fisted to the point of being unintentionally comical at times. As King Leonidas, Gerard Butler is a commanding presence, but not much more than that. Good thing his character is not really required to do much more than be strong on the battlefield. Other than a few quiet moments early on, Butler does not get to show much range as the Spartan ruler. At least he's in good company, as everyone else seems to be following the same direction. There's not one single moment that could be described as subtle, but the performances do fit the tone of the movie. The filmmakers were obviously not trying for dialogue-heavy exchanges here, and went for an action speaks louder than words approach. Since the words are a letdown, we should be grateful that the action is so memorable.
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