300 is based on a graphic novel, which is both its strength and weakness. Strength, in that the movie is stuffed full of gorgeous visuals, and weakness in that the plot is, ahem, cartoonish. The characters never become anything but stereotypes, which is a real shame as there is a lot of psychological gold to quarry from Spartan society and its more outré ideas.
The movie must also break some sort of record when it comes to slow-motion ultra-violence. Not even Tarantino has been able to concoct so much stylized blood splatter.
All in all, 300 is popcorn. Visually arresting and sometimes gripping, but with the depth of the face of Xerxes on a traitor’s coin.
It’s also kind of oddly gay feeling†. Oddly, since none of the Spartans does anything remotely non-heterosexual. After a while it struck me that the lingering gayness comes from not their fabulously sculpted abs of fury, but their hairlessness. None of the Spartans have chest hair. Which is a bit odd since the Greek in general are not known for lacking body hair. The cast obviously worked very hard on their physiques, so perhaps it natural for them to want show off their abs and pecs without distracting hair. Who knows?
Either way, if you’re in the mood for something very large and loud, 300 certainly delivers.
†Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
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Won’t even bother going to see 300, though I’ve seen the trailer and a portion bootlegged to the web to check it out. Guess I’m getting old, but what I’ll call “comic book movies” have disappointed me one too many times. While they can contain some actual ideas (none you hadn’t thought of by age 16, however), the lack of character depth and the inevitably jejune, adolescent interpretation of history - even imagined history - remind me of the “nutrition” of candy; somewhat of a rush, maybe even addictive, but basically bad for you in all but the smallest, most occasional quantities. Sometimes this is explicit and obvious going in, i.e. Hellboy or Spiderman or X-Men or the Star Wars films (yes, especially the most recent one!), but then there are the somewhat more stealthy “graphic novel” inspired films… you know, those hard-bound really expensive comic books made for the arrested brains of yuppies and their spawn. V for Vendetta. The Matrix films. Eon Flux. Equilibrium. (I know, I know - some of the above are only “honorary” comic book movies) So much money! So much talent! So much violence (done mostly without a flicker of conscience to minor characters - but inevitably really “creatively” sadistically to the villain and/or “movingly” to a main character sacrificed to the story having some pathos)! So many big booms! So many ideas that bright 16 year olds think of effortlessly! I’ve seen them. Even enjoyed them. But they are all ultimately examples of decadence I think I just can’t stomach anymore… but, then again, I guess they aren’t as worthless and societally shameful a waste of resources, energy and time as uniformed professional sports… or are they?
I guess you’re way outside the target audience for these kinds of films, and I’m getting there myself.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with some mindless fun every once in a while…