300

If you haven't seen 300, you may not want to read this until you do. It's not a spoiler, but it does talk about the film and if you are like me, you won't want to know anything about it until you can go see it. If you don't give a crap, read on...



My first thought about 300 is that director Joel Schumacher must have had a two hour orgasm watching that movie.

I went to it last night with Steve and Jeff. I will say that I really enjoyed the movie. I was never really surprised by it, but it is one of the most visually stunning films I have seen in a long time. And if you like men, you will love this film.

To clarify, I would say that it is a bit Batman & Robinesque with the mostly naked, super built Spartans tearing apart the Persians limb from limb for 75% of the film. There were times in the film where the audience would laugh out loud at the bikini briefs all the men in the movie were required to wear. I would actually call them "bulges". But, I also understand that they are playing to a stereotype of the Greek warrior as having fought naked next to each other to the death. The filmmakers were also (I hope) showing the physical dominance of the Spartans over their enemies and even other Greeks as a way to raise them above the average man as Super Warrior! It also helps our 'suspension of disbelief' when the Spartans fight and kill everything in their path. Even a demonic giant ogre being that is seemingly indestructible.

I will also say there there are some very attractive women in the film and some full frontal nudity for those guys who need a little balance from the bulges.



What makes 300 a pretty good film is that it is from the world of Frank Miller. Don't go to this movie thinking it is an accurate portrayal of what happened at Thermopylae. This is a film based on a comic book and it does not stray from this. It is a hard boiled, bloody, fantasy filled with mythological beasts and very stylized dialogue.

Was there a tinge of pro-Iraq war in there too? The lines about freedom is not free and how their water and food come at the price of the men fighting for them right now. It seemed a bit fishy to me.

BUT!!! All that said, I still really liked the film. There were some true "Holy Shit" moments and it was pure entertainment. Once again I will say that it was visually stunning and is very worth the ticket. Especially in IMAX. It's almost hard to wrap your mind around it.

poster images courtesy of IMPA (Internet Movie Poster Awards)