Ok, I’ve been holding it in a bit debating if I should post this before or after the “official” release tonight, but I decided to post it now… let you see the movie, and then come back and throw your comments into the frey. So what did I think of 300? Well… it’s a good movie.
ON THE GOOD SIDE
– The film is visually BEAUTIFUL to look at. The art, costume and digital designs are flawless and actually become a character themselves in the film. You can forgive someone who forgets they’re watching a movie instead of a moving piece of art on screen. It’s that good looking.
– The action is every bit as intense and chest pounding as you could hope for
– The cast as a whole did a magnificent job. Especially David Wenham (who played Faramir, Captain of Gondor in the Lord of the Rings films) as the warrior/story teller Dilios.
– Beautiful story. As a pure story, Miller’s 300 exceeds his Sin City offerings. Very Shakespearian in nature extolling the inner conflict of a man, a king, driven by honor and duty and a love for his nation… but even more love for his wife. It’s a story of arrogance and shame, of ego and cruelty… and in the midst of it all… it’s a story of courage.
– ANYONE WHO SAYS 300 IS JUST STYLE AND NO SUBSTANCE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT. This film is heavy on substance… some people will sadly just fail to see it. That’s not to say that everyone will or should like it. 300 is certainly not for everyone and I can understand some people not enjoying the film. That’s fair enough. But it certainly doesn’t lack from substance. Not in the least. Anyone who says otherwise is either blind or just purposefully looking for an excuse to justify their own distaste for the film (something that they don’t have to justify in the first place).
ON THE BAD SIDE
– As good of a job that Gerald Butler did… I had a hard time once in a while getting over this King of Greece having a heavy Scooo-Tish accent. It was a bit distracting
– The film fails to deliver on the sheer quantity of action that it seems to promise us. We’re a full half hour or more into the film before any spears start to fly.
– Some of the dialog feels disjointed and out of place
– This one isn’t the fault of the movie per se since it’s also in the book… but it’s hard to feel too much sympathy or honor for a culture that throws babies from a cliff if they don’t quite look right
OVERALL
300 is a good movie that I think most people will enjoy… it is not however the major classic many of us were hoping for (and perhaps for that we have no one to blame but ourselves). The film is beautiful to look at, but ironically some of its visual beauty may actually distract from the beauty of the pure story and tale behind the film.
On a side note… I’m now VERY curious to see the weekend Box Office results. The theatre here in town showed a midnight screening on 2 screens and both were sold out. I’ll stick with $50 millionish.
