It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
... View MoreIf the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
... View MoreIt's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
... View MoreIt's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
... View MoreThe movie is thrilling with war scenes that were very good made. The plot was weak. The rhythm of the movie and it's shape in the end is really what bothers me that I sometimes can imagine the green screens. In the end , watch for fulfilling it's main cause very good which is war.
... View MoreAs usual I did no research and read no reviews before seeing 300, and so went into it with few expectations. For the first few minutes I wasn't quite sure what I was watching. It wasn't 'animation' but then again it didn't look like regular film, it was definitely enhanced and manipulated to give it an appearance unlike anything I'd seen before. I was curious to see more. However, after I'd adapted to these new visuals I was more available to focus on the story, script, and what was actually going on. That's where the trouble began. This film seems to be stuck in one gear - very high. Every scene was like yet another climax. It was unrelenting and before soon lost it's impact and power to excite. Also, the script wasn't so much dialogue as much as it was profound statements, rally cries, epic speeches meant to inspire and awe, and that was basically it. It seems this film was meant to awe and inspire the audience through its visuals only, but for me I need a supporting story and characters who, love them or hate them, I need to feel something for them. 300 is interesting to look at, but has nothing else going for it.
... View MoreIf you don't like this movie...you should go see a Spartan about a cliff.
... View More300 is a unique film. When it first came out, it was met with a very polarizing reception. Some claimed it was a masterpiece, others claim it was an overrated pile of trash. This would latter prove to become a tentpole in Snyder's filmography. The visuals were hailed as majestic, the dialogue catchy and quotable, the action and violence exhilarating, relentless, and spectacular, Gerard Butler as King Leonidas one of the next big icons in cinema history. Others, on the other hand, found it to be exhausting visual noise with little to no depth or purpose to any of its stylistic action montages. In my honest opinion, I think both sides are right. If you love the movie, I can totally see why. If you hated it, I can also see why. I guess your level of enjoyment with this film will depend mostly on two factors: your personal taste in movies, and your expectations when approaching this one. Let's get out of the way the obvious points. The acting from everyone involved is great, with Butler being the obvious standout. Everyone looks believable as Spartan soldiers and truly help sell the epicness of the action (which is expertly choreographed, I should say). Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes is both entrancing and downright evil, which is totally appropriate and fits the nature of this godlike character. Some of the best moments in the film are when both Leonidas and Xerxes are having an interchange, maybe because they are both truly mesmerizing actors, and moments like these allow their characters' personalities to shine for once. Visually, this film is glorious, and it still holds up a decade after the film's initial release. Backgrounds, armies, cinematography, the color palette, the settings, the creatures, make up effects, and the carnage (oh god, the carnage) are all exquisitely made. The movie's visual aesthetic is worth the price of admission alone. It helps the film stand out as one of the most entertainingly brutal and creative war movies of recent times. The super-imposition chroma key filming technique is also admirable, as it allows Frank Miller's panels to come to life on the big screen. However, and now we turn to the negative side of the film, when it comes to the story itself.. there's very little substance to match up with the insanity that is the stylistic nature of this movie. Basically the plot revolves around Leonidas gathering a group of 300 warriors to stop the Persians and prevent Sparta to fall under Xerxes' tyranny. That's it. There's no real plot twist nor inventiveness to it. Its just people fighting after people fighting after people fighting. Now, one can defend this by saying the film is not interested in an innovative or a thought provoking story, but instead uses a relatively simple story as connective tissue for the action sequences, which are the real standouts. It was that way in the graphic novel, though in a way, the film's very loyal to its source material. I understand this, and if it wasn't obvious already (I gave the film an 8/10 after all) this bothers me little to nothing. That being said, when judging the film objectively, its lacking in the narrative department is something that needs to be addressed, and depending on whether you care for a well thought out story to accompany your action, as good as it may be, this will come through as a significant flaw for you, and a deal breaker before deciding if seeing the film or not. 300 is, once again, a unique film, and its definitely not for everybody. It is one perfect example of a film that's style over substance, and that may irritate the most demanding viewers. This is no Gladiator, no Braveheart, no troy nor LOTR. However, what it lacks in narrative depth more than compensates with amazing to behold action sequences, and a mesmerizing work in the visual department. Its story is more than enough to move the film forward, and the result is an engaging, entertaining, brutal, surreal and bloody war film that never gets boring, and eventually wins you over with the way everything comes together. In spite of its divisive nature, I do suggest that film buffs check this film at least once. Who knows, maybe at its worst it can come off as a guilty pleasure. As for myself, I do stand with my take on it as one of the most purely entertaining action films I've ever witnessed.
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