Hollywood does Thermopylae

So there's a lot of buzz surrounding the new movie 300. 300, the film adaptation of Frank Miller's (Sin City) graphic novel of the same name, is loosely based on the historical Battle of Thermopylae. In 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian Empire at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the Persians for three days in one of history's most famous last stands. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I could pass. After three days of battle, a local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks by revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines. Dismissing the rest of the army, King Leonidas stayed behind with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers. The Persians succeeded in taking the pass but sustained heavy losses, extremely disproportionate to those of the Greeks. The fierce resistance of the Spartan-led army offered Athens the invaluable time to prepare for a decisive naval battle that would come to determine the outcome of the war. The subsequent Greek victory at the Battle of Salamis left much of the Persian Empire's navy destroyed and Xerxes was forced to retreat back to Asia, leaving his army in Greece under Mardonius, who was to meet the Greeks in battle one last time. The Spartans assembled at full strength and led a pan-Greek army that defeated the Persians decisively at the Battle of Plataea, ending the Greco-Persian War and with it the expansion of the Persian Empire into Europe. The performance of the defenders at the battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment, and good use of terrain to maximize an army's potential, and has become a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds. (Summary taken from Wikipedia.)

When I first heard about the movie I knew I had to see it. Why? Because I love anything about Ancient civilizations, the clips I'd seen were visually stunning and there were a bunch of half-naked stud muffins going off to fight a battle that would inevitably lead to their deaths. Yeah, I'll pay money to see that! I'd heard the criticisms about the excessive violence, homo eroticism, inaccurate historic portal and the politics behind 300. But it didn't phase me faze me. I was of the same mind of aNewsday.com reviewer to said:

This movie in no way pretends to be a replication of historical events. It is, instead, a willed hallucination of ancient history goosed with mutant warriors, rhinos outfitted like Sherman tanks and a King Xerxes who's dolled up with enough glittering threads and glossy makeup to make every David Bowie wanna-be from the mid-1970s chew his knuckles in fuming envy. Put bluntly, the movie's just too darned silly to withstand any ideological theorizing. And "silly" is invoked here, more or less, with affection.

And the film just looked,well, cool. It was shot almost entirely in front of a blue screen which allowed the director, Zack Snyder, the control to keep the film as similar to the graphic novel as possible. Which it accomplished quite well as the film is a shot-for-shot adaptation of the graphic novel (see image to left). (Excluding a few additional scenes added to the film.)

I will admit whole-heartedly to LOVING this movie. It felt like a Gladiator, Troy, Lord of the Rings hybrid. However, if you are at all queasy about blood, guts and the occasional decapitation, you might want to pass on 300.

Some of my favorite reviews from Rotten Tomatoes:

You don't go to Hooters for the chicken wings - no matter what you might tell your wife - and you're not going to "300" for the plot nuances. That said, the new Ancient Greek blood bath is exactly what you're looking for if you're looking for decapitations, fluid bursts and sweaty naked men (there are a few naked women, too). -Richmond.com

I feel comfortable enough in my (relative lack of) masculinity to say that if I had to stand in the presence of these men for more than ten seconds, I’d spontaneously grow a pair of ovaries. -Film Threat

In between all the blood and guts, 300’s careful costuming and sensuous style is intensely erotic.-Cinemablend