Killer effects and actors slay in 300

By Frank D'Adamo
Collegian Staff
March 21, 2007

There are times where I may watch an action movie and absolutely hate the whole movie, but there is always one fight scene that makes up for it (Star Wars: Episode II — Yoda vs. Count Dooku). Luckily for 300, those feelings were not there…entirely. While there are some parts that may drag, they are necessary to the story, and the movie proves itself to be a victory for the Spartans in my book.

300 is directed by Zack Snyder and stars Gerard Butler, Rodrigo Santoro and Lena Headey. It’s loosely based off of the graphic novel by Frank Miller regarding the Battle of Thermopylae. The movie begins by going through the childhood and adolescence of Leonidas (Butler) as he grows into a great warrior. He eventually becomes King of Sparta and marries Queen Gorgo (Headey).

The King and Queen are later approached by a Persian messenger through Persian King Xerxes (Santoro) who is threatening them and the Spartans into slavery, among other things, such as disrespecting the Queen. Leonidas refuses the threats from King Xerxes, which begins the war. From that point on there are two separate stories to the movie. There is the assembling of Leonidas and his 299 best warriors to wage war against one million Persians and the actual war itself. Then, there is Gorgo trying to stop the war in an effort to stop the needless loss of lives. She tries to do so by going in the chambers of Sparta’s councilmen and pleading to the hierarchy to stop the war.

300 was shot in 60 days with mostly all blue background; the scenery was created via CGI. Snyder said that he wanted everyone to feel the scenery, and he was able to accomplish that task because I, along with other audience members, was captivated by certain scenes. One scene in particular is when the Spartans are preparing for war, and there is a cut to the dark sky that goes even darker as thousands of spears fill the air in an attempt to kill all the Spartans. That scene and many others are done incredibly well with the use of CGI.

The most important thing I enjoyed about the movie is the actual war itself. Snyder was able to bring a lot of emotion for the 40-minute plus war, not only through the characters, but through the content of the war. It’s 300 of the best Spartan warriors against a million Persians, and yet the Spartan warriors give off the impression that there is no need to worry, because it isn’t a big deal. There are two young Spartans fighting, and while they are battling, they are literally using sarcasm towards each other while killing Persians. It’s bizarre and psychotic — yet we enjoyed every minute of it.

However, the only reason this movie garners a “B” rating rather than “A” from me is because the Queen’s storyline is a bit slow-paced and unentertaining. It wasn’t until she actually went in the chambers to meet with the council to discuss how this war should end that her storyline was actually worth watching.

I did feel, however, that Butler did a great job as Leonidas. Leonidas, to me, gives audiences an opportunity to get a sense of what a king should act like, with great leadership qualities and a booming voice.

I do feel 300 is geared for a male audience. Sorry ladies, but there is a strong sense of testosterone when the movie lets out, and all you hear out of a guy’s mouth is, “You know, after seeing that I just want to beat the hell out of something.” I think it goes back to what I said earlier about the arrogance of the Spartans during battle, and just slicing up Persians. The movie may not be a masterpiece, but it certainly is respectable to watch.

dadamof1@lasalle.edu